DeLand, Fla. -- Good pitching, defense and timely hitting made for a strong season-opening performance for the 2016 Stetson softball team on Friday afternoon at Patricia Wilson Field as the Hatters swept a pair of games from visiting Akron.
The Hatters won the opening game 3-0 behind a three-hit pitching performance from sophomore Chelsea Hostetler, and then completed the sweep with an 8-0 victory in game two behind freshman hurler Brooke Hutto.
The Hatters will be back in action on Saturday in the Dot Richardson Invitational in Clermont, Fla. Stetson will square off with Morgan State at 4 p.m. and will following up against Liberty University at 6:30 p.m.
Stetson will return home on Sunday for a single game against Fordham. That game is scheduled for a noon start.
Save for one inning, Hostetler dominated the Zips in the opening game. All three hits she allowed came in the fourth inning, but she was able to keep Akron off the board thanks to a ground ball off the bat of Gabrielle Fredericks that hit runner Alyssa Nicholas between first and second base. Then, after loading the bases by hitting a batter, she got out of the frame when senior shortstop Kayla Drury made a diving stab on a line drive off the bat of pinch hitter Kelly Hysong to end the threat.
The rest of the game was smooth sailing for Hostetler, who struck out two and walked four in the complete game shutout.
The Hatters gave their pitcher all the run support she needed in the first inning when junior Jessie TenBroeck walked to open the game, stole second and scored when the throw from catcher McKenzie Rhodes sailed into right center field.
Stetson pushed its lead to 2-0 in the second when senior catcher Jessica Griffin defied the odds, and a 15 mile per hour wind, to sneak a homer just inside the foul pole down the left field line.
TenBroeck plated the final run of the game in the sixth inning when she delivered an infield single to plate Molly Shasteen, who singled to open the frame.
Akron starting pitcher Erin Seiler lasted just two innings, allowing the first two runs, one earned, on four hits. Nicole Best worked the final four frames for the Zips.
The second game of the day was a little more in doubt early before the Hatters blew things open. Hutto dodged bullets in the first two innings as Akron threatened with runners in scoring position in both frames, but the Stetson defense stepped up to get the freshman out of those jams both times.
The Hatters, on the other hand, were able to take advantage of some defensive gaffs on the part of the Zips in the third inning, scoring three unearned runs on just one hit, thanks to two errors. Junior Kelsey Waters had the hit off Akron starter Paige McMenemy to cap the scoring in the inning.
Stetson added three more runs in the fifth inning to get some breathing room and chase the Akron starter. Drury got things started with a one-out single, moved up on a throwing error and then scored on a double by Waters. After a pitching change, Griffin delivered a double off Best, the game one starter, to drive home two more runs.
The Hatters finished off the game in the sixth inning, scoring two off a third Zips pitcher, Hysong. A double by Drury plated the first run and then Waters delivered a sacrifice fly to send everyone home happy.
On the day, Tenbroeck had three hits and scored three runs, Drury had three hits and drove in a pair, Waters had two hits and drove in three, as did Griffin, and Lydia Kinney had three hits and scored a pair of runs.
Fredericks had four of the seven Akron hits in the doubleheader.
Notes: The Hatters won their season opener for the third straight year ... Jessica Griffin homered in the season opener for the second straight year. She now stands alone in eighth place in school history with 17 career home runs. She is also tied for eighth with 29 career doubles ... Chelsea Hostetler threw her sixth career shutout in game one. She closed the game by retiring the last 10 iun a row ... Brooke Hutto retired eight of her last nine for a shutout in game two. Hutto became the first Hatter freshman to throw a complete game shutout in her debut since Erica Demers in 2006 ... The Hatters pitched two shutouts on opening day for the first time since 2007 ... Defensively, the Hatters were error-free in 59 chances ... Kayla Drury was spotless in 10 chances at shortstop, including a spectacular diving catch of a line drive while Akron had the bases loaded.
