FORT MYERS, FL—Zach Spivey's run-scoring single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning was the difference for Florida Gulf Coast, as the Eagles scored a 6-5 walk-off win over visiting NJIT Saturday in the second game of the three-game weekend Atlantic Sun Conference baseball series between the two teams.
 
FGCU (18-17 overall; 4-1 A-Sun) won its third game in a row and its fifth in the last six contests, but the Highlanders (12-20 overall; 2-5 A-Sun) provided a spirited road block for the Eagles to navigate.
 
Florida Gulf Coast held a 4-0 lead headed into the seventh inning, but the Highlanders scored twice in each of the next two innings to forge a 4-4 tie going to the bottom of the eighth.
 
NJIT's starting pitcher, senior LHP Ian Bentley did not figure in the decision, but he battled into the eighth inning, blanking the Eagles from the fifth through the seventh innings after having allowed four runs in the first four innings.
 
Bentley yielded a leadoff single in the eighth to FGCU's Jake Noll (2-for-4), but then retired the next two batters. However, DH Corey Fehribach singled on a 3-2 count to drive home Noll and give the Eagles a 5-4 lead. Sophomore RHP Tommy Derer relieved Bentley and retired the first batter he faced to end the eighth inning.
 
Having already overcome a 4-0 deficit, NJIT responded to a do-or-die scenario in the top of the ninth inning by tying the score again, thanks to a one-out RBI double by LF Evan Pietronico (2-for-5). The Highlanders got another base runner in the ninth, but could not push ahead the go-ahead run.
 
Florida Gulf Coast CF Gage Morey led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and pinch-hitter Brady Anderson followed Morey with another single. A sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position and NJIT summoned freshman Chris Gibbons in from the bullpen.
 
Spivey, who had delivered a walk-off hit earlier in the week to lift the Eagles past #16 Florida Atlantic, singled through the left side of NJIT's drawn-in infield for another game-winning RBI.
 
The loss was charged to Derer, whose record falls to 2-3. He was charged with one run in two-thirds of an inning after the starter, Bentley, allowed five runs on 11 hits in 7.2 innings.
 
The win went to the third FGCU pitcher, sophomore RHP Christian Townsend (1-1), who allowed one run in one inning. He had relieved junior Sterling Koerner, who pitched 1.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits. The Eagles starter, junior RHP Garrett Anderson allowed four hits and two runs in 6.1 innings.
 
Both teams registered double-digit hits totals (14 for FGCU and 10 for NJIT). The Eagles had four players with two hits apiece, everyone in the second through fifth spots in the batting order. One of them, RF Colton Bottomley (2-for-4) hit a double, as did C Matt Roberts (1-for-3).
 
For NJIT, freshman SS Justin Etts was a game-best 3-for-4, while Pietronico, DH Stephan Halibej, and 1B Bryan Haberstroh all had two hits each. All three men had a double and a single.
 
NJIT, which won its first two Atlantic Sun games ever when it took two at home from USC Upstate on the first two days in April, has now lost five conference games in a row. In three of those losses, the opponent has scored the winning run in the sixth inning or later.

Saturday's game followed a somewhat different script. Previously, the Highlanders led early and the opponents came from behind to claim victory. On Saturday, NJIT fought back to score all of its runs in the last three innings, only to lose on a walk-off hit.
 
FGCU got a run in the first inning on a one-out sacrifice fly by 3B Tyler Selesky (2-for-2) that brought in Spivey, who had hit an infield single and went to third base on another single by Noll.
 
Spivey drove in the second Eagle run with a line-out sacrifice fly that drove home Roberts, who had led off the FGCU half of the third inning with a double.
 
Bottomley drove in a run with a double in the fourth inning and FGCU went up 4-0 later in the inning on 1B Tyler Atwell's RBI single.
 
NJIT loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the seventh inning and got its first run of the day on a fielder's choice ground out toward the middle by 2B Johnny Malatesta. The Highlanders reloaded the bases and got a second run when Etts hit a two-out single.
 
The Highlanders drew even in the top of the eighth inning. Pietronico led off with a single and Halibej followed by driving a double down the right field line. 3B Tom Brady singled to drive in a run and pinch-runner Matt Yuhas scored the tying run from third base when Haberstroh reached first on a one-out error. NJIT eventually got two more runners in scoring position but left them both on base.

After FGCU reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the eighth, NJIT tied the score in the top half of the ninth on Pietronico's RBI double and FGCU won in the bottom half on Spivey's walk-off single.
 
The teams will wrap up the three-game set with a game Sunday at 1 pm.