FORT MEYERS, Fla. – The Fairfield University Baseball team dropped their season opener with a 9-1 final over Florida Gulf Coast. Dean Ferrara drove in a run with a RBI single in the eighth and the Fairfield bullpen combined for six impressive innings in the setback.
 
Jake Memoli was the first out of the pen and allowed just one run in 2.2 solid innings. Brendon Miller made his collegiate debut and struck out two without allowing a hit for his 1.1 innings. Will Fox added a nice inning in the sixth while Will Youngman and Grant Smeltzer combined for a scoreless eighth.
 
Fairfield tallied four hits in the evening contest with Ferrara, Matthew Bucciero, Sean Meth, and Nolan Colby all getting a base knock. Ferrara's drove in Colby in the eighth on a 3-2 pitch. Meth smashed a double to lead off the ninth.
 
The two teams will play the middle game of the series on Saturday at 2pm.