Baseball
UCA’s Late Push Can’t Overcome FGCU’s Three Home Runs
The Bears scored three runs in the ninth inning but couldn’t hold off Florida Gulf Coast’s 4-3 ASUN Championship victory.
DELAND, Fla. — Three home runs ended up being too big a hole to dig out of.
Central Arkansas put together one of its best at-bats of the season when it mattered most Thursday, but a three-run ninth-inning comeback fell one run short as the Bears dropped a 4-3 decision to Florida Gulf Coast University at Melching Field at Conrad Park.
The loss brings the 2026 ASUN Championship run to a close for UCA.
The Bears wrapped up the year at 31-26 overall and 17-13 in ASUN play. FGCU finished the regular season at 35-20 and 17-12 in conference action.
How Game Got Away Early
UCA got a solid start from right-hander Jake Jones, who worked four innings, gave up five hits and one earned run and struck out three batters.
The Bears were in a 1-0 hole after the fourth inning when FGCU’s Jeremy Comer hit a home run to deep right field to put the Eagles on the board first.
The deficit grew to two in the fifth. A Wilfred Gonzalez single allowed Javier Gorostola to score from second base and UCA found itself down 2-0 heading into the sixth.
That’s when things got tougher. Comer went deep again in the sixth inning for his second home run of the game and Nathan Gagnon added a solo shot of his own.
Those two swings pushed the FGCU lead to 4-0 and that’s where the score stayed until the ninth.
Hunter Alexander gave the Bears a chance to stay close after Jones exited.
The senior right-hander threw 2 2/3 hitless innings out of the bullpen, walked nobody and struck out two batters — one of the cleaner relief outings of the postseason.
Silas Cowgill followed and threw 1 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs, including two of the home runs that put FGCU ahead comfortably.
The Ninth-Inning Push
Down four with three outs to go, the Bears weren’t done.
Jack Runsick started things with a single and Casey Shipley drew a walk. Noah Goodshield came in as a pinch runner, keeping fresh legs on the bases.
Parker Gwyn then ripped a double to left field that scored Runsick and moved Goodshield up to third base, cutting the lead to 4-2.
Keaton Laidley followed with a single to shallow center that brought home both Goodshield and Gwyn, suddenly making it a one-run game at 4-3.
Laidley finished the night with two RBIs and also swiped a base. Gwyn ended his afternoon with two hits, two doubles and a run scored.
Despite the energy in the dugout and the noise of a late rally, UCA couldn’t push across the tying run. FGCU closer Ashton Pocol earned his sixth save of the season and the final score held at 4-3.
Schattle Led Offense
While the ninth-inning sequence grabbed the attention, graduate student Jagger Schattle quietly put together the best hitting performance of the day for UCA.
He went 3-for-4 at the plate in his final game as a Bear.
Evan Dempsey picked up the win on the mound for FGCU, improving to 7-2 on the season. Jones took the loss, dropping to 4-5.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 ASUN Championship marks the final chapter of this Bears team in the conference.
Next season, UCA will compete in the United Athletic Conference, starting a new chapter in the program’s history.
The Bears take a 31-26 record and a postseason appearance into that transition, a foundation they’ll build on going forward.
