FORT MYERS, Fla. – A couple of big innings for Florida Gulf Coast proved to be the factor Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats fell in a 23-3 decision in the second game of a three-game set against Florida Gulf Coast at Swanson Stadium. Bethune-Cookman collected the opening game of the series, 6-3 on Friday night.
 
Florida Gulf Coast (1-1) jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, as the homestanding Eagles got to Bethune-Cookman freshman pitcher Carlos Lequerica, who was making his first collegiate start on the bump.
 
In fact, BCU head coach Jonathan Hernandez used Saturday as a learning lesson and a chance to feature some fresh faces on the team, and a chance to prove that baseball is a game of total opposites at times.
 
"I stayed loose and I wanted them to know it's a long season, and they need to stay loose too," said Hernandez after the contest. "Baseball can be a total high. And then it can be a total low. But I told the guys that's the best part about the game. We can lose the way we did today, and still come back and have a chance to win the series tomorrow."
 
After FGCU plated the game's first six runs, Bethune-Cookman (1-1) bounced back with three runs of its own in top of the third inning.
 
The Cats got to FGCU starting ace Brenden Heiss, as Zach Spivey and Josten Heron both worked their way aboard with back-to-back walks. That set the stage for Chase DeBonis to deliver a run-scoring double down the line in left to score Spivey, followed by Over Torres picking up a RBI single past the glove of Christian Proffitt at short to score Heron in the next at-bat.
 
BCU plated one more in the frame when senior first baseman Danny Rodriguez reached on a RBI fielder's choice which allowed DeBonis to reach home safely on the play.
 
The Eagles would answer in kind with four runs of their own in the home-half of the inning to extend the lead at 10-3.
 
That made way for Hernandez to make several changes, both defensively and on the mound throughout the remainder of the contest.
 
The Maroon and Gold picked up three hits on the day, two of those coming from DeBonis and Torres in the third inning.
 
In total, six BCU pitchers saw action on the day, while Lequerica (0-1) accepted the loss in his first collegiate outing, as the Miami native threw just 1.2 innings and allowed six runs on three hits, walked two and struck out two.
 
Seth Lovell pitched an inning and a third, followed in order by Alec Mendez (two innings), Nick Vigilante (one inning), Ben Berggren (one inning) and Jordan Delucia (one inning).
 
Tyler Shuck (1-0) picked up the win out of the Eagles bullpen in throwing five innings of relief ball, allowing just one hit in the process and adding five strikeouts.
 
Bethune-Cookman will look to take the rubber game of the series Sunday when the Wildcats and Eagles meet for game three of the series inside Swanson Stadium at 1 p.m.
 
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