Eagles baseball wins close game against USC Upstate

FORT MYERS, Fla. The FGCU baseball team defeated the University of South Carolina Upstate Thursday night 7-6 at Swanson Stadium.

The Eagles jumped to an early lead in the bottom of the second inning with a two-RBI double off of freshman Alex Brait over the head of Spartans’ right fielder J.J. Shimko with two outs.

But the Spartans narrowed the lead 2-1 in the top of the fifth on an RBI groundout from Devon Ortiz, then tied the game when Pat Raiff scored on a passed ball.

However, the Eagles regained the lead with one run in the bottom of the inning and another two in the sixth, making it a 5-2 ballgame.

The Spartans fought back with a two-out rally in the top of the seventh, cutting the Eagles’ lead 5-4, as well as an additional two runs in the top of the eighth.

Then junior Spencer Levine smashed a two-run homer over the left-field fence with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, giving the Eagles the lead and 7-6 victory.

FGCU and USC Upstate will face off again in game two of the three game series between Friday at Swanson Stadium at 6:30 p.m.