DeLand, Fla. - Belmont scored 13 runs in the first four innings and eliminated Stetson from the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament with a 18-5 victory Friday night at Melching Field.  The Bruins (34-24) knocked out 16 hits and the Hatters (41-19) committed five errors.

Belmont remained the only unbeaten team in the tournament and will face the #4 seed Jacksonville at 1:00 p.m.  A Belmont win gives the Bruins the championship, while a Jacksonville victory will pit the same two teams against each other for a winner-take-all final. 

Kane Simmons led Belmont with a 3-for-4 effort that included five RBI and four runs scored.  He missed the cycle by a triple.  Every Bruin in the starting lineup scored at least once. 

Relief pitcher Josh Moffitt (5-4) picked up the win with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.  He allowed just one hit and three walks, while striking out two. 

Shane Jordan and Justin Bass each tallied two hits for Stetson.  Braedyn Pruitt drove in his 187th career run. 

After the Hatters stranded two base runners in top of the first, Belmont jumped on top 4-0 in an ugly inning.  Matt Reynolds and Wilson Tucker reached on walks with one out.  Ben Petsch then struck out but after the third strike hit in the dirt, took off for first base and drew an errant throw to bring Reynolds in all the way from second.  Derek Wiley then drove a ball to deep left-center that was dropped for an error and brought in Belmont's second run.

Kane Simmons followed with a solid single to left to plate Wiley.  He then stole second and went to third when no one covered the base to receive the throw.  Daniel Wagner beat out an infield single to plate Simmons and give Belmont the four-run advantage. 

Things got worse for the Hatters in the second.  Ben Petsch delivered a 2-RBI single with the bases loaded to knock out starter Justin Dechert (6-3).  After reliever Nick Pugliese struck out his first batter, Kane Simmons hit his 14th home run of the year to plate three more and put Belmont on top 9-0. 

The Bruins picked up another run in the third after a single, a walk, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly. 

Stetson cut the deficit in half in the fourth with the team's most explosive inning in weeks.  Justin Bass began the frame with the Hatters first hit of the game and Adam Tindle followed with an infield single.  Jeremy Cruz then poked a double over the center fielder's head to score the first run. 

Pinch-hitter Aaron Crittenden also reached on an infield hit to reload the bases.  Stetson inserted another pinch-hitter, Brian Pruitt, who drilled a double into the right-center field gap that cleared the bases.  A few batters later, Braedyn Pruitt singled sharply through the right side to cut the score to 10-5. 

But Belmont came right back with three runs to slow the rally.  Derek Wiley's one-out single began the retaliation and Simmons followed with a double.  After an intentional walk, Brady Manifold singled to right, scoring two Bruins.  Carlo Testa knocked in another to make it 13-5.

Tetsa drove home two more in the sixth, giving Belmont their second 10-run lead of the game.  The Bruins also put up a run in the seventh and two in the eighth to cap the 18-5 victory.   

The Hatters must now wait for an at-large bid to the NCAA Regionals.  The field of 64 will be announced on ESPN at 12:30 p.m. Monday.