New Orleans, La. – Sophomore Jack Perkins has had his fair share of ups and downs in his short career at Stetson University, but Saturday night's complete game performance in a 5-1 victory over Tulane will go down in the Ocala native's all-time personal record book.
 
Perkins (2-3) posted his first collegiate complete game, holding the Green Wave to just six hits and one run while tying his career high with 13 strikeouts. He retired the final seven Tulane hitters following Tyler Heinrichs' RBI single in the seventh to end his shutout bid. Four of those final seven outs came on strikes, including the last two to end the game.
 
Stetson improved to 9-16 on the year while Tulane fell to 9-14. The teams will square off in the rubber game of their weekend series on Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. (EDT).
 
"I felt that my fastball was better than it had been in my last couple of outings," Perkins said. "My changeup was really good, as was my curveball and my cutter. Everything was working.
 
"After they scored that run we came back and scored two more and that got me really pumped up. I had a lot more energy after that."
 
Hatters coach Steve Trimper said all the credit goes to Perkins.
 
"He was just unbelievable," Trimper said. "He just pounded the zone. He has pitched really well all year, but he gets into the fifth or sixth inning where he'd have a hiccup by walking someone. He got into some 3-2 counts tonight, but he struck guys out by attacking the zone."
 
The Hatters started five freshmen in the field for the first time all year and that group played a big part in getting the win. Ben Rowdon walked against Tulane starter J.P. France (1-3) and scored the first run of the game in the third inning on a single by sophomore Jacob Koos. In the fifth it was Andrew MacNeil who singled and scored on a single by junior Austin Hale.
 
"It was funny to look out there and see all those freshmen and sophomores," Trimper said. "It is a very young club and that has shown sometimes in how we have played but it is good to see some growth from those guys, especially as we get ready to go into conference play."
 
Austin Bogart got things started in the sixth with a leadoff single. He moved up on a hit by Jorge Arenas and a walk to Jordan Morrow. Rowdon got the run in the hard way, by hitting into a double play.
 
After Tulane scored in the seventh to cut the Hatters' lead to 3-1, it was Bogart, Arenas and Rowdon who combined to get those two insurance runs on the board. Bogart and Arenas both singled and both stole a base before Rowdon delivered a two-out single up the middle to drive both runners home.
 
"This was probably our most complete game of the season," Trimper said. "We talked about the things we didn't do well last night and we made those adjustments. The big test is tomorrow in trying not to take a big step backwards.
 
"We made some really good two-strike adjustments tonight. Bogart did it a couple of times and Rowdon had a big two-out RBI to get the fourth and fifth runs in. All-in-all, it was a good performance."
 
MacNeil led Stetson with three hits in the game while Koos, Bogart and Arenas added two hits each while, as a team, the Hatters struck out just six times on the night.
 
The focus for Stetson now is on winning the series. Sophomore Logan Gilbert (3-0, 1.76) will get the assignment on the mound against Tulane sophomore left-hander Ross Massey (0-3, 5-09) in Sunday's series finale.
 
"You can get these guys in, we really jammed them tonight, and they struggle with the breaking ball," Trimper said of Tulane. "It doesn't matter who you are, if you pitch on the inside part of the plate with your fastball, you can get them shaking and moving a little bit. That is what Logan could do tomorrow and do well."
 
Perkins said he hopes that his performance, and the teams' win, helps get the Hatters going in the right direction.
 
"The best part of the game tonight was that we were able to score early and keep scoring," Perkins said. "This was great and I think it will help us out a lot."
 
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.