College Park, Md. – The Stetson Hatters made a strong statement in their series opening win over the University of Maryland on Friday afternoon, dominating the host Terrapins in every phase in a 12-3 victory.
Stetson improved to 19-3 with the win while dropping Maryland to 10-12 on the year. The teams will play again on Saturday afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
From the very first batter of the game, the Hatters had their way on Friday. Junior
Jacob Koos led things off with a double off Maryland starter Taylor Bloom (2-4), one of six two-base hits in the game for Stetson. A sacrifice bunt moved him to third and a sacrifice fly from
Mike Spooner scored him for the first run.
The Hatters never looked back.
Stetson starter
Logan Gilbert (5-0) made sure the Terrapins' bats were as cold as the weather. Gilbert retired the first 10 Maryland hitters before allowing a walk in the fourth inning. By the time that happened, the Hatters had built a 4-0 lead and were well on their way.
Gilbert's only trouble came in the fifth inning when Maryland picked up a couple of singles and then loaded the bases when an inside fastball caught a piece of a Terrapins hitter. Gilbert got a ground ball for the second out of the inning then put any Maryland thoughts of a rally to bed with a strikeout, one of 10 on the day.
The junior cruised into the ninth inning before Nick Dunn snuck a fly ball down the left field line just inside the line for a double. Gilbert got a ground ball to third from the next hitter but, when the third base umpire ruled Dunn save after he ran out of the base line to avoid a tag from
Jonathan Meola, the Hatters made a call to the bullpen.
Freshman reliever
Austin Wood allowed consecutive hits to score one Maryland run, and a ground ball to score another before getting the final out of the game.
In the end, Gilbert allowed two runs on four hits over 8 1/3 innings with one walk.
While he was keeping the Maryland bats quiet, Stetson was heating things up offensively. The Hatters finished the night with 14 hits, including three from
Brooks Wilson and two each from Spooner,
Austin Hale and Meola. Meola probably should have had three hits as well, but his leadoff shot off the glove of third baseman Tommy Gardnier in the third inning was ruled an error.
Nico Torino followed with a hard hit ball off the glove of the Maryland first baseman that was also originally called an error, but was later changed to a hit. A sacrifice bunt, one of three in the game, was followed by another sacrifice fly by
Baylen Sparks, also one of three, scoring Meola, and then Spooner singled to drive in Torino for a 3-0 lead.
Jorge Arenas drew a walk to open the fourth inning and then scored on a Hale double into the right center gap.
In the fifth it was Sparks who drew a leadoff walk and later scored, after moving to third on a Wilson double, on an
Andrew MacNeil sacrifice fly.
The Hatters added two more runs in the seventh inning to chase Taylor. Spooner started things with a two-out single and Wilson followed with another double. MacNeil then lined a single to center to score both runs.
Stetson put the game away with a five-run top of the ninth off Maryland reliever Grant Burleson, who walked three of the first four hitters in the frame. Hale singled home a run and then Meola doubled in two more.
Bruce Martin followed with a two-run single, but was thrown out trying to stretch for a double.
Overall, Stetson scored in six different innings and had a chance to score in another.
The Hatters will go for their sixth consecutive series win on Saturday when junior right-hander
Jack Perkins (2-1) goes to the mound against the Terrapins, who will counter with sophomore left-hander Tyler Blohm (2-2). A victory in that game for Stetson would give the Hatters 20 wins on the season, matching the 2001 club for the fastest to 20 wins in school history.
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.
