New Orleans, La. – Strikeouts with runners in scoring position cost the Stetson Hatters dearly on Friday night in a 7-6 loss to Tulane at Turchin Stadium.
 
The Hatters (8-16) fell to 2-6 on the year in one-run games thanks in large part to missed opportunities against the Green Wave (9-13).
 
Strikeouts in the first, third and fifth innings left runners in scoring position for the Hatters, who stranded a total of nine runners on base in the game. All three of those early scoring chances allowed Tulane starter Corey Merrill to wriggle out of trouble and helped the Green Wave hurler set a new career-high with nine strikeouts in his six innings of work.
 
Despite those missed chances early, the Hatters still battled back. Stetson scored four runs in the seventh inning to tie the game at 6-6, before leaving the go ahead run at third base.
 
"We talked about Tulane averaging just 4.6 strikeouts per game, and we go out tonight and give them 12," Hatters coach Steve Trimper said. "That is a setback for us. We can't continue to give those things away. We have six one-run losses this year where we might have been one hit away, but you have to make your own luck. One less strikeout or moving one more guy over might have made a difference.
 
"I am not going to stop pushing the gas pedal on these guys until we consistently start doing that. It is a sign of our youth, but we are getting to the point in the season where the guys who are playing consistently need to start making those adjustments and improvements."
 
Tulane did not have as many problems scoring runs when the opportunities presented themselves. The Green Wave stranded just four runners on base in the game, with just two of those in scoring position.
 
Tulane was able to push the winning run across in the eighth inning after Tyler Heinrichs doubled off Dean Garabedian (0-1) with one out and advanced to third on an error in the outfield by Andrew MacNeil. Lex Kaplan, who had a three-run home run off Stetson starter Brooks Wilson in the fourth inning, grounded a single through the right side of a drawn in Stetson defense to score the run.
 
Green Wave reliever Brandon Issa (1-0) got the win behind his two shutout innings, even though he allowed three of the four Stetson runs in the seventh inning after relieving Jack Morgan with the bases loaded. Christian Colletti worked around a two-out error in the ninth inning to earn his first save of the year for the Green Wave.
 
Stetson took an early 2-0 lead, scoring single runs in the third and fourth innings. Ben Rowdon led off the third with a double for the first hit of the game and later scored on a single by Mike Spooner. Jorge Arenas reached on a two-out single in the fourth, stole second and then scored when Rowdon reached on a Tulane error.
 
A one-out walk by Wilson opened the door for Tulane's four-run fourth off Wilson. Sal Gozzo and Heinrichs followed with singles to plate one run and then Kaplan fisted one up into the 20-plus miles per hour wind and out to left for a three-run home run.
 
The Green Wave added two more runs off Wilson in the fifth inning on four hits and a sacrifice fly.
 
"He was up in the zone and got hit," Trimper said of Wilson. "He was trying to force it in there, but was throwing across his body a little. That happens to pitchers sometimes. He was cruising through and it all happened so fast. He will come back strong for us, he just has to learn from his mistakes."
 
The Hatters rallied to tie the game in the seventh. Morgan walked Jacob Koos to open the inning then gave up consecutive hits to Colton Lightner and Spooner to load the bases. After being called for a balk to score Koos, Morgan walked Jack Gonzalez before being lifted for Issa.
 
Austin Bogart, who had struck out three times against Merrill, greeted Issa with a two-run double to the gap in left. After Kirk Sidwell went down on strikes for the third time, Austin Hale delivered a sacrifice fly to score Gonzalez with the tying run. Issa then got Arenas to ground out, stranding the go-ahead run at third.
 
The Hatters managed just seven hits against the Green Wave with Spooner accounting for two of those. Tulane had 12 hits on the night, two each from Hunter Williams, Gozzo, Heinrichs, Kaplan and Jake Wellsey.
 
The Hatters will look to even the series on Saturday when the teams meet in a game scheduled for 5 p.m.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.