Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida State broke out their heavy lumber on Wednesday night at Dick Howser Stadium, blasting three home runs in a 7-3 victory over visiting Stetson.
 
Dylan Busby was the primary thumper for the Seminoles (24-15), blasting a solo homer off Stetson starter Austin Bogart in the second and then, after the Hatters rallied to tie the game, launching a two-run shot off Mitchell Senger (0-2) to put FSU on top for good.
 
Cal Raleigh's solo blast off Dean Garabedian later in the fifth was just icing on the cake for FSU.
 
Seminoles freshman left-hander Clayton Kwiatkowski (1-0) was the beneficiary of the home runs. He worked 3.2 innings in relief of starter Will Zirzow to get his first collegiate win.
 
Stetson (16-23) had its own big blast in a three-run fifth inning to rally from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game. Jacob Koos started things in the inning, drawing a one-out walk before stealing second and going to third on a wild pitch as Zirzow walked Andrew MacNeil.
 
Kwiatkowski was called on to relieve at that point, and he got Spooner to hit a slow roller to second. The ball was not hit hard enough for the Seminoles to turn a double play, allowing Koos to score. Jack Gonzalez followed with a two-run homer to tie the game at 3-3.
 
That lead lasted just two batters. Taylor Walls, who had two doubles in a three-hit game, just missed a home run, doubling off the fence in right center to snap a streak of seven straight FSU hitters set down by Senger. Busby followed, hitting a ball off the very top of the scoreboard to put FSU back on top 5-3.
 
Before the fifth inning finally ended, the Seminoles sent nine men to the plate against four Stetson pitchers. Joey Gonzalez finally got the final out to end the frame and strand two FSU runners.
 
While the home run ball determined the fate of the game, the Hatters flashed some serious leather throughout the evening. Colton Lightner made a remarkable play on a hot smash down the line by Raleigh in the third inning. In the fourth in was Jorge Arenas at short who made a diving stab of a Matt Henderson line drive for an out. Second baseman Ben Rowdon got in on the fun in the sixth, taking a fourth hit away from Walls on a line drive up the middle.
 
Hatters junior Brooks Wilson also reached a milestone in the game, recording career strikeout Nos. 200 and 201 in the eighth. It was Walls, who had a full evening, who became the 200^th strikeout victim in Wilson's career.
 
Offensively, the Hatters got two hits each from Spooner and Austin Hale. Both had extra-base hits – Spooner a double in the seventh and Hale a triple in the sixth – but neither led to Stetson runs.
 
The Hatters will return to action on Friday night in Spartanburg, SC, when they take on USC Upstate. The Spartans improved to 17-23 on the year with a 5-1 victory over Charleston Southern on Wednesday night.
 
Following the series at Upstate, the Hatters will return home to Melching Field to host Florida State next Tuesday night. That game is schedule for a 5 p.m. first pitch.
 
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.