DeLand, Fla. - USF (17-19) made its second trip to DeLand this season and this time the Bulls went home with a win, 9-3 over host Stetson (20-19). The Hatters took the first meeting 6-5 on March 30 and now hold a 77-75 all-time advantage over their rivals from Tampa.
On a night where the Hatters were out hit 15-6 their lone offensive bright spot came from senior Aaron Crittenden (Fort Myers, Fla.) who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored, and his 5th home run of the season. Spencer Theisen (Longwood, Fla.) and Jacob deGrom (DeLeon Springs, Fla.) smashed doubles to right field while Ryan Lashley (Lake Worth, Fla.) and Jeff Simpson (Valrico, Fla.) each delivered a single.
Stetson starter Kurt Schluter (Jupiter, Fla.) tossed two innings, allowed three runs on three hits and was saddled with the loss falling to 2-3 on the season. Seven Hatters journeyed to the mound on the night with just Jake Boyd (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Nick Bohne (Melbourne, Fla.) holding the Bulls scoreless.
Stetson scored one run in the 4th inning when Theisen doubled and then came around on an RBI single to left field by Lashley. Crittenden's rocket line drive cleared the right field fence in the 7th, and then deGrom smacked an RBI double down the right field line to score Kevin Mierzwinski (Orlando, Fla.) who reached on an error in the 8th.
Stetson will remain at home to host Lipscomb in a weekend A-Sun series. The games are scheduled for Friday night at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Stetson fans can watch the games on Hatter Vision by going to www.gohatters.com. The voice of Stetson baseball Bill Topping will call the action.
