FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU softball team completed the series sweep of Chattanooga on Saturday, shutting out the Mocs in game two 6-0 and winning in walk-off fashion in the series finale 4-3.
FGCU improved to 18-12 overall with its fifth straight victory, while Chattanooga dropped to 14-10 on the season. In 2022, the Mocs went 1-2 in the NCAA Tournament in the Tuscaloosa Regional before being eliminated by No. 6 Alabama.
"Just a really massive start by Angie to start the day, and a lot of resilience shown by our team to come back after Chattanooga tied the game late," said FGCU softball head coach David Deiros. "Great springboard to our first conference series starting on Saturday."
Junior Angelina Bonilla (Coral Gables, Fla./Coral Gables HS) recorded her first complete game shutout of her career in the opening game of the day. Bonilla stifled the Mocs, surrendering only three hits, struck out three, and walked none. Her 48 strikeouts on the year leads all Eagles in the category. Bonilla's gem marked the fifth shutout of the season for FGCU.
Offensively, freshman Tiffany Meek (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./William T. Dwyer HS), sophomore Riley Oakes (Oviedo, Fla./Bishop Moore Catholic HS/Radford), and graduate Tayli Filla (Fort Myers, Fla./Bishop Verot HS/USF) each produced two hits. Both Meeks and Oakes drove in a run toward the Eagles' cause.
Senior Neely Peterson's (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Cypress Creek HS/Colorado State & Santa Fe College) two-run, RBI double broke the scoreless tie in the third. FGCU would score another pair of runs in the fourth to lead 4-0 after four complete.
Sophomore Kayleigh Roper's (Venice, Fla./Venice HS/Michigan State) RBI in the fifth made it 5-0 as Owen Bowers followed with a RBI single in the sixth to complete the 6-0 shutout.
In the series finale, Chattanooga faced its final out, but extended the game with a two-run home run knot the game at three apiece. In the bottom of the seventh, FGCU loaded the bases to set up its fourth potential walk-off victory of the season and its second in two days.
Freshman Emily Chiarella (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) sent a ball through the left side of the infield to seal the deal and capture the series sweep of the Mocs.
FGCU opened the contest with a run in the first courtesy of an Oakes sacrifice fly. In the third, freshman Olivia Black (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce Central HS) stole third and then trotted home as the ball soared into the outfield. Black is a perfect 16-for-16 in stolen bases on the season. Entering the series, FGCU ranked No. 6 in the nation in total steals.
Filla would later follow with a RBI single to make it 3-0 Eagles after three complete. Meek stayed hot by recording two more hits, finishing the day 4-for-5.
Chattanooga scored its first run of the day in the fifth before trying to tap into heroics in the top of the seventh. The FGCU pitching staff held the Most scoreless for 13 straight innings.
Despite blowing the save opportunity, senior Baylee Haggard (Naples, Fla./Palmetto Ridge HS/Florida SouthWestern State & South Florida State College) was credited with the win in relief action, her fourth of the year. Junior Claire Maulding (Casey, Ill./Casey Westfield HS/Lake Land College) pitched the first four innings, allowing zero runs on just four hits.
FGCU will now focus its attention toward the its ASUN opening series with Jacksonville beginning Saturday at the FGCU Softball Complex. Saturday's doubleheader has officially been moved up to a noon start due to impending weather. The Eagles close the series with Dolphins on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For up-to-the-minute information on the FGCU softball program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_Softball, Instagram at fgcusoftball, Facebook, and stay tuned at FGCUAthletics.com.
COACH DEIROS
The founding father of FGCU softball, David Deiros enters his 21st season as head coach in 2023. Hired in 2001 to build the program from the ground up, Deiros has since guided the Eagles to a 724-409-3 (.636) record, gone 176-109 (.618) in the ASUN, had 16 seasons with a winning record and nine campaigns of 35+ wins. Deiros has also led the Eagles to three ASUN regular season championships (2008, 2012, and 2016) and one ASUN Tournament title (2012). In 2012, FGCU defeated No. 5 Florida in its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Last season (2022), FGCU took down both No. 8 Texas and No. 10 Florida once again. Deiros is a former head coach at the 1998 Florida State Runner-Up Lely High School in Naples and is the founding head coach of the 1999 District Champion/2001 Regional Runner-Up Gulf Coast High School in Naples.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow.
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCUCampus Food Pantry (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 96 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 48 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Nine FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport -- including women's basketball (No. 20 in 2021-22 and No. 22 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 20 in 2023), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as five of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
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