05/09/2026

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Florida Gulf Coast baseball team (31-17, 14-10 ASUN) held off a late-inning charge from the University of West Georgia (13-16, 10-15 ASUN) to secure a 7-6 victory in the opening game of a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series Friday night at Swanson Stadium. Despite entering the ninth inning with a four-run lead, the Eagles were forced to navigate a bases-loaded jam to preserve the win.

West Georgia nearly erased a 7-3 deficit in its final frame, plating three runs to pull within one. With two outs and the tying run on base, FGCU’s Elliot Cadieux Lanoue induced a shallow pop-up to right field from Anthony Cole. Second baseman Cayden Hessemyer made the catch to halt the rally and secure the win.

FGCU opened the game with an offensive explosion, taking a 7-0 lead through the first four innings. Jon Embury got the scoring started in the first with a home run that traveled 372 feet into left field.

The Eagles added three more runs in the second, beginning with a sacrifice fly to left-center by Merrick Rapoza that scored Cayden Hessemyer. Hessemyer reached base with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Nathan Gagnon. Evan Dempsey followed with an RBI single down the left-field line to bring home Jeremy Comer, who reached after being hit by a pitch. Embury then added an RBI single of his own down the left-field line to score Dempsey, who had stolen second base earlier in the frame.

Hessemyer returned to the plate in the third inning and hit a sacrifice fly down the right-field line to score Wilfred Gonzalez. Gonzalez reached base on a single and advanced to third on the next play following a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt. Embury added a crucial insurance run in the fourth with a two-run homer that traveled 415 feet to deep left field, scoring Rapoza.

West Georgia’s rally attempt began in the fifth inning with an RBI triple by Jacob Bowman that scored Fano Cruz, followed by an RBI double from Gabe Wuerth to bring home Bowman. The Wolves cut the deficit to 7-3 in the seventh on an RBI single through the left side by David Bell that allowed Hank Smith to cross the plate.

The Wolves made one final push to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Cruz led off with a single to right-center and later advanced to second on a one-out single up the middle by Bowman. Gabe Wuerth was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Patrick McCullough, who hit an RBI single through the left side of the infield to bring home Cruz.

David Bell followed with an RBI single through the infield to score Bowman. Following an FGCU pitching change, Landon Weidner hit an RBI groundout to the infield, scoring Wuerth and pulling the Wolves within one run at 7-6.

Dempsey (5-2) earned the win for the Eagles, allowing two runs on five hits across five innings. Dempsey struck out nine batters, surpassing the 100-strikeout milestone during the game and finishing the night with 105 total strikeouts this season.

The only other pitcher in program history to reach 100 strikeouts in a single season is Chris Sale, who accomplished the feat twice. Sale recorded 104 strikeouts in 2009 and a program-record 146 strikeouts in 2010.

Cadieux Lanoue earned his second save of the season, recording the final two outs to preserve the victory.

Luke Ridley (3-2) took the loss for West Georgia, allowing seven runs — six of them earned — on nine hits across four innings of work.

FGCU returns to Swanson Stadium for game two of the series Saturday, May 9 at 5 p.m.