Senior John Fussell has been the Hatters' best hitter through the first three weeks of the 2016 baseball season, but patience is not something he has put on display at the plate.

That changed in the eighth inning on Sunday when Fussell battled back from a 1-2 count to draw a two-out, bases loaded walk, forcing home Matt Morales with the winning run in a 4-3 victory over Central Michigan in the final game of the Westin Lake Mary Stetson Invitational.

The University of Illinois took top honors in the tournament, with the Illini topping Villanova 4-2 on Sunday morning to complete a three-game weekend sweep. Stetson (6-6) finished second with a 2-1 mark on the weekend.

“If you look up ugly win in the dictionary, this game is there,” Hatters head coach Pete Dunn said. “It was a win, but that is about all you can say about it. We really did not deserve to win that game. They didn't out-pitch us, but they out defended us and they out-hit us.”

For Fussell, the walk in the eighth inning put a positive ending on the weekend in which he was hitless in his last seven at bats with four strikeouts.

“Not a bad time for me to get my first walk of the year,” Fussell said. “I have been scuffling a little for the last two days, but I tried to keep things simple and swing at pitches I can handle. When he threw the 3-2 pitch out of the zone, I knew that a walk was just as good as a hit, so I let it go by. I had the green light, but he didn't throw me one I liked.”

The Hatters finished the day with just four hits against four CMU pitchers, but three of the four produced runs. Will Mackenzie scored the first two runs of the game for Stetson. He was hit by a pitch from CMU starter Patrick Leatherman in the second inning and scored on a double into the right field corner by Vance Vizcaino.

The Hatters had a chance to add more in that frame after Vizcaino stole third, but a line drive off the bat of Colton Lightner went right to CMU third baseman Morgan Oliver, who then dove to the bag ahead of Vizcaino for an inning-ending double play.

The Chippewas (1-9) got that run back off Stetson starter Jack Perkins in the fourth inning when Daniel Robinson pulled a single through the right side of the infield to score Dazon Cole, who reached on a bloop hit, from second base.

CMU then took the lead in the fifth inning as a result of one of three Stetson errors in the game. Oliver reached base to start the frame after striking out when catcher Jorge Flores' throw to first was wild. Back-to-back two out singles by Zach McKinstry and Cole pushed Oliver around for a 2-1 Chippewas lead.

That lead lasted one pitch into the bottom of the inning when Mackenzie blasted his second home run of the year.

The score remained tied until the seventh when Stetson freshman Joey Gonzales, who came on to pitch in the sixth, surrendered consecutive singles to Alex Borglin and McKinstry to put runners on the corners. Gonzalez bounced back to strikeout Cole, but the third strike was wild allowing Borglin to scramble home for the go-ahead run.

The Stetson eighth started when Austin Hale drew a one-out walk from reliever Jimmy McNamara. Cole (0-1), who was serving as the designated hitter, came in to pitch and immediately walked Matt Morales and Jacob Koos to load the bases.

The Chippewas then brought in Jordan Grosjean, who got the second out before Cory Reid delivered a one-hop smash right at third base. Oliver played the ball off his chest, but was unable to recover in time to get an out, allowing Hale to score the tying run and setting things up for Fussell.

“We didn't play our best ball today, but it felt good to see us stay in there and then come back in the eighth to get the win,” Fussell said. “A win is a win in my book, so I am happy with it.”

Dunn said he was proud of the way Fussell handled himself at the plate in a crucial situation.

“That was a great at bat for Fussell,” Dunn said. “He fouled some pitches off to get the walk. We have some guys who are pretty passive at the plate right now and we have to find a way to get that out of them. We have to be aggressive and make things happen, and that is not something we have shown.”

Perkins gave a strong performance in his third start of the year, finishing with eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of work. He allowed five hits and one earned run. Senior Adam Schaly (1-0) was the beneficiary of the comeback. He came on to get the final out of the seventh inning and then worked around a two-base error and a hit in the eighth.

Walker Sheller slammed the door in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts for his second save of the year.

“Our pitching continues to be very good,” Dunn said. “Perkins did a great job and then Schaly came in and pitched well and then Sheller. Our pitching is getting better and better. Perkins made a lot of mistakes his first time out, but last week he was better and this week he was even better.”

The Hatters will leave Volusia County for the first time this season on Tuesday when they travel to Miami for a game against FIU. The Hatters will then stay in Miami-Dade County for a Wednesday evening tilt against the nationally-ranked Hurricanes.

Both games are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts. The Tuesday game will be broadcast on WSBB AM 1230 and AM 1490 and the Wednesday game at Miami will be broadcast on ESPN3.