Fort Myers, Fla. ? Stetson took the first game of Friday's doubleheader against Florida Gulf Coast 2-1 in a pitcher's dual before dropping the second game 5-4 in extra innings. The Hatters (27-28, 16-13) and the Eagles (35-18, 22-7) were forced into playing today's doubleheader after last night's game was postponed due to inclement weather in Fort Myers.

Mark Jones (Palm Coast, Fla.) was a combined 5-for-9 on the day raising his season batting average to .364. The A-Sun Freshman of the Year candidate has not dipped below .340 the entire season.

Jeremy Cruz (Miami, Fla.) was 4-for-8 including a double and a home run. It was his 18^th round tripper of the season tying him with Frank Corr and Chris Westervelt for first place all-time at Stetson for home runs in a season. And, there are at least three games still left to play.

In the day's first game Andy Mauldin (Gainesville, Fla.) followed his A-Sun Pitcher of the Week performance from last Friday with another gem of an outing. He out-dueled FGCU's Chris Sale (Lakeland, Fla.) to raise his record to 4-4 on the season. Mauldin tossed seven complete innings allowing just one run and two hits while striking out three batters. Ryan Sweat (DeBary, Fla.) and Robbie Powell (Punta Gorda, Fla.) finished the job with Powell earning his third save of the season.

The Eagles struck first with their only run in the bottom of the second inning. It took a couple innings for the Hatters to answer, yet that is what they did, with the tying run in the seventh and the eventual winning run in the eighth. Fort Myers native Aaron Crittenden led off the seventh with a single to right and then moved to second when Nick Rickles (Loxahatchee, Fla.) reached on a fielder's choice after Sale tried to make a play at second and the sailed the ball well over the shortstop's head. Crittenden advanced to third on a Jones single and then scored on a groundout by Jacob deGrom (DeLeon Springs, Fla.).

The small, yet enthusiastic crowd at Swanson Stadium, which featured more supporters of the visitors than the home team, had its chance to cheer in the eighth. Jeff Simpson (Valrico, Fla.) led off with a double down the left field line, moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Casey Frawley (New Haven, Ct.).

In game two Stetson scored a run in the top of the second when Cruz led off with a double, moved to third on a Jones single, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Joe Castellanos (Brandon, Fla.).

The Eagles took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second before the Hatters pulled even with two in the top of the third on a Cruz Missile to left center. The teams then swapped solo runs sending them into extra innings. The game ended on an unearned run after a pair of errors by Stetson pitcher Robbie Powell, the last of seven Hatters to take the mound. It was an unfortunate ending for the pitcher that saved game one. Powell's record dropped to 2-5 on the season.

It took the Eagles 12 innings to defeat Stetson and secure its second consecutive regular season A-Sun Championship. When the game ended the Hatters watched FGCU players pile on and celebrate the title. Next week, perhaps, it will be Stetson's turn to create a pile of its own and celebrate a tournament championship in DeLand. The Hatters have won 10 of their last 14 games coming down the stretch.

Stetson will take on Florida Gulf Coast in the series finale Saturday at 1:00 p.m. 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.