Box Score DeLand, Fla. ? The Hatters (3-4, 1-2) returned to their winning ways Saturday afternoon at Melching Field with a 18-10 win over Holy Cross. Leading Stetson's relentless offensive attack was the Cr(uz)(ews) brothers. Junior Jeremy Cruz (Miami, Fla.) was 4-for-5 with 2 singles, 2 home runs, 6 RBI and 4 runs scored. Freshman Robert Crews (Port Charlotte, Fla.) finished the game 5-for-6 with 2 doubles, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored.
Starting pitcher Robby Donovan (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) pitched 6 complete innings and struck out 10 batters en route to his first victory of the season (1-1).
Stetson opened the scoring early with four runs in the first inning. Casey Frawley (New Haven, Conn.) led off the inning with a walk, Crews and Cruz followed with singles to load the bases, and then Justin Bass (DeLand, Fla.) singled through the left side of the infield to knock in two runs. Two more runs scored on a groundout and a wild pitch.
In the second inning Frawley was on base again with a single to center field and then scored on a Cruz missile over the left-center field wall. Bass made it back-to-back with a solo homer to left-center and Stetson led by a score of 7-0.
The Hatters scored in each of the first four innings and went into the top of 5th with a 12-0 lead. This was the opening game of the 2008 season for the Crusaders (0-1), and they played like it, at least until the 5th. Holy Cross sent nine batters to the plate that inning and scored five runs on six hits; five singles and one double.
Holy Cross scored another run in the top of the 6th. Stetson answered with three more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Freshman Jacob deGrom (DeLeon Springs, Fla.) reached base on an error, Crews singled to right field and then Cruz crushed his second homer of the game to put the Hatters up 15-6.
Stetson had one more big inning with three runs in the bottom of the 8th on four hits. Among the four hits were a double by Crews and a pinch hit double for freshman Joe Castellanos (Brandon, Fla.) knocking in two runs.
As a team Stetson had 20 hits in the game, seven of which went for extra bases. Six players had multiple hits including Cruz and Crews. Frawley, Bass, Aaron Crittenden (Fort Myers, Fla.) and Brian Pruitt (Miami, Fla.) each had two hits.
The Hatters and the Crusaders will face off again tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. on Melching Field. Hatter fans can hear all the action at gohatters.com. Play-by-play will be provided by the voice of Stetson baseball, Bill Topping.
