DeLand, Fla. - Stetson, ranked #21 by Collegiate Baseball, completed a series sweep with a 10-5 win over Savannah State Sunday afternoon at Melching Field. The Hatters extended their current winning streak to a season-high nine games while improving to 29-7 overall. The Tigers lost their fourth game in a row and fell to 20-19 on the season.
Stetson's offense was led by five players with multiple hits in the game. Sean Emory (Miami, Fla.) and Spencer Theisen (Longwood, Fla.) each finished with three hits, while Mark Jones (Bunnell, Fla.) and Ben Carhart (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) added two hits along with a home run. Jones hit a three-run blast to left in the fifth inning, his 3rd of the season, and Carhart ripped a two-run shot to left in the sixth, his 5th of the year. Jeff Simpson (Valrico, Fla.) contributed a single, double and an RBI to the cause.
It was a good day that included a disappointing moment for Stetson catcher Nick Rickles (Loxahatchee, Fla.). Rickles was 1-for-4 with a run scored and ran his hitting streak to 16 games; the highest streak for any Hatter this season. He also helped lead his team to an important victory. His disappointment came in the fifth inning when his consecutive at bats without a strike out streak came to an end. He made it through 137 at bats this season and 178 at bats overall dating back to last season without striking out. In the NCAA's top division, however, this season Rickles remains #1 in the nation in the Most Difficult to Strike Out category.
Stetson starter Tucker Donahue (Coral Springs, Fla.) threw four innings giving up three runs on six hits and striking out five. Reliever Will Dorsey (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) was credited with the win and improved to 6-3 after allowing two runs on three hits over 2.2 innings. Cameron Griffin (Naples, Fla.) faced one batter and did his job before giving way to Robbie Powell (Punta Gorda, Fla.) who threw the final two innings striking out three.
Savannah State's Michael Allegretti (Savannah, Ga.) surrendered seven runs and nine hits over 5.2 innings and suffered the loss falling to 5-2 in 2011.
The Hatters will head for Tampa on Tuesday to take on USF at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised on Bright House Sports Network. Stetson fans can hear the game on Hatter Vision at GoHatters.com with Bill Topping calling the action. Tickets for home games are available at the gate or can be purchased online at GoHatters.com or by calling 738-HATS.
