DeLand, Fla. ? The Stetson softball team (6-5) only managed two hits off UCF pitcher Ashleigh Cole in a 6-0 loss to the Knights (7-6) Wednesday evening at Patricia Wilson Field.  The Hatters suffered their second consecutive shutout loss after falling 8-0 at #7 Florida Sunday afternoon.

UCF got all the runs it would need in the top of the first when six of the first seven batters singled, most of them perfectly placed hits that fell just out of reach of Stetson gloves.  Four runs came around to score, two of them on a single by designated player Lindsey Dean.  Two more Knight runs scored in the seventh inning on a two-run double off the bat of third baseman Hilary Barrow.

Junior first baseman Andrea Migliori (Winter Garden, Fla.) singled in the first inning and senior second baseman Nicole Forbes (Tampa, Fla.) did likewise in the bottom of the seventh but Cole did not allow any Hatter past first base throughout the game.

Cole struck out six and walked none to earn her first win of the season.  Sophomore Amanda Lindsey (Byhalia, Miss.) took the loss for Stetson, allowing six runs on nine hits and a walk in seven innings.  She struck out three.  Barrow drove in three runs for UCF while right fielder Marquita Council and first baseman Breanne Javier had two base hits each.

Stetson is back in action when it hosts the Hatter Invitational this weekend at Patricia Wilson Field.  Stetson opens play on Friday, taking on Volusia County rival Bethune-Cookman twice with first pitch of the opener scheduled for 4:30 p.m.  In addition to the Hatters and Wildcats, the field also includes Alabama State and South Alabama.  Video and audio for all games are available through Hatter Vision on the official online home of Stetson Athletics, www.gohatters.com.