Facing the minimum number of batters through the first six innings, freshman right-hander Ricky Knapp’s strong outing helped FGCU take down visiting Bethune-Cookman 5-2 Tuesday at Swanson Stadium.

The victory evened the Eagles’ record at 16-16 (8-7 A-Sun) while the Wildcats dropped to 19-16 in the 2011 campaign.

In his fifth start of the season, Knapp improved to 3-1 with the victory. He fanned six batters and allowed just two earned runs on four hits to help the Eagles earn the victory.

Not to be lost in the effort, senior right-hander Jason Forjet entered in the seventh and finished the contest, preserving the win and securing his second save of the year.

Following four scoreless innings to start the game, the Eagles were scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. After freshman Sean Dwyer and senior Mikel Alvarez drew walks, senior Tim Roberson sent a two-out fly ball to center field that was misplayed, allowing two runs.

The Eagles pushed their lead to 3-0 in the sixth. Freshman Jake Foley drew a full-count walk and quickly moved into scoring position by swiping second base with one out . A well-placed single to left by Andrew Valencia scored Foley from second.

Knapp’s outing got a little rocky in the top of the seventh after a hit batter and a single to right put runners on the corners. A double to deep center by BCU’s Ryan Durrence scored both runners, prompting a pitching change with no outs. Forjet worked the Eagles out of the jam without any further damage .

The Eagles increased the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the seventh.

The teams return to action for the last of two games at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.