FORT MYERS, Fla. (Interstat) — Derek Bermudez drove in three runs, including a decisive two-run single in the eighth inning, and the Jacksonville Dolphins weathered a rocky start to defeat the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 6-4 in ASUN Conference baseball action Friday night at Swanson Stadium.

The game’s pivotal sequence came in the top of the eighth, breaking open what had been a tight contest. Jacksonville, leading 3-0 after a dominant six-inning start from FGCU’s Evan Dempsey, finally broke through against the Eagles’ bullpen to secure the series-opening win.

Dempsey was brilliant in a no-decision, striking out nine over six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. His effort was nearly wasted as Jacksonville’s own pitching staff, after a difficult first inning, silenced the Eagles’ bats for the majority of the night.

Florida Gulf Coast (20-12, 8-5 ASUN) struck quickly against Jacksonville starter Alex Walsh in the first. The Eagles loaded the bases with no outs on three consecutive singles. Walsh hit Jaret Nelson to force in a run, then unleashed a wild pitch that allowed another to score. Cayden Hessemyer followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Eagles an early 3-0 lead before many in the crowd of 1,847 had settled in.

From there, however, Jacksonville’s bullpen took control. Grant Brooks, Kyle Hopper and Austin Williamson combined for four hitless innings of relief, striking out four and preserving the 3-0 deficit while the Dolphins’ offense sought an answer against Dempsey.

That answer came after Dempsey’s departure. The Dolphins (16-17, 4-9) scratched across a run in the seventh on an RBI single from Roger Vergara and tied the game on Bermudez’s first run-scoring hit of the night.

The eighth inning proved decisive. With Hyatt Richardson on the mound for FGCU, Jacksonville loaded the bases with one out. Sammy Mummau lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Dolphins their first lead at 4-3. After a pitching change brought in Simon Aluko and then Ashton Pocol, Bermudez delivered the key blow, lacing a two-run single to left-center to score Abdriel Delgado and Blake Edmonds, extending the lead to 6-3. Both runs were unearned due to a throwing error by Richardson earlier in the frame.

Florida Gulf Coast mounted a final threat in the ninth against Jacksonville closer Dominic Pieto. Evan Dempsey, who had moved to designated hitter after pitching, walked and stole second. After a walk to Nelson, Hessemyer delivered his second RBI of the game with a single to center, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Pieto stranded the tying runs on base, however, striking out Jeremy Comer swinging to end the game.

Bermudez finished 3 for 4 to lead Jacksonville’s 10-hit attack. Hessemyer went 2 for 4 with two RBIs for the Eagles, who out-hit the Dolphins 12-10 but stranded 11 runners.

Hopper earned the win in relief for Jacksonville, while Pocol took the loss for Florida Gulf Coast. Pieto recorded his first save of the season.

The victory improved Jacksonville to 16-17 overall and 4-9 in the ASUN, while Florida Gulf Coast fell to 20-12 and 8-5. The teams continue their three-game series Saturday afternoon.

The most important part of the game was Jacksonville’s eighth-inning rally. Trailing 3-0 for most of the night against a dominant starting pitcher, the Dolphins finally tied the game in the seventh. Then, in the eighth, they capitalized on a critical Florida Gulf Coast error and a faltering bullpen. With the bases loaded and the go-ahead run already in, Derek Bermudez’s two-run single off reliever Ashton Pocol broke the game open, transforming a narrow one-run lead into a much more secure three-run advantage. This offensive outburst, directly following the departure of Eagles’ starter Evan Dempsey, provided the necessary cushion to withstand FGCU’s ninth-inning rally and secured the road victory.