Spartanburg, S.C. ? After allowing a final run in the ninth Stetson (11-17, 4-6) registered a 12-9 win over USC Upstate (7-19, 2-11) in Friday's series opener. The Hatters scored two runs in the sixth inning and five runs in the seventh to overtake the Spartans who held an 8-5 lead.

Freshman Mark Jones (Palm Coast, Fla.) was 3-for-5 with two RBI, Jeremy Cruz (Miami, Fla.) was 2-for-3 which included his conference-leading ninth home run of the season, and Kyle Maulbetsch (St. Augustine, Fla.) produced his first multi-hit game of the season going 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI.

Robbie Powell (Punta Gorda, Fla.) came on in relief and pitched four complete innings giving up just three hits and one run to register the win. He struck out two batters and improved his record to 2-3 on the season. Barrett Stover (Durham, N.C.) gave up four runs in a single inning of work, took the loss, and dropped his record to 1-4.

The Hatters and Spartans will return to the field tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m to complete the series with a doubleheader. Stetson fans can hear all the games on Hatter Vision found at www.gohatters.com. The voice of Hatters baseball Bill Topping will call the action. Tickets for all Stetson home games can be purchased on line at gohatters.com or at the gate on game day.