Tampa, Fla. – The Stetson offense got the Hatters off to a good start Tuesday night at USF Stadium and then Joey Gonzalez worked his magic on the mound into the eighth inning as the Hatters snapped a modest two-game skid with a 5-3 victory over South Florida.
 
The Hatters improved to 20-5 on the season with the win in celebration of Stetson coach Steve Trimper's birthday. The Bulls fell to 18-8 with the loss.
 
Stetson got off to a quick start in the game, scoring twice in the first inning off USF starter Baron Stuart (2-2). Mike Spooner got things started with a leadoff single, stole second and then scored on a single by Jorge Arenas.
 
After an error and a walk loaded the bases, Andrew MacNeil singled home Arenas for a 2-0 lead.
 
USF came right back in the bottom of the first, scoring a run off Gonzalez (6-1) thanks to a walk, a double by Duke Stunkel, Jr., and a wild pitch.
 
Gonzalez settled in after the rough start, working the next six innings without allowing another run, keeping the score 2-1 until Stetson plated a pair of insurance runs in the seventh.
 
That inning started when Dee Shelton reached on a wild pitch on a swinging third strike against reliever Dylan Burns. Spooner followed with a single before Jacob Koos walked to load the bases. Arenas delivered for the second time in the game, driving a two-run single into left center for a 4-1 Hatters lead.
 
Stetson got another insurance run in the eighth inning thanks to a pair of USF errors.
 
The Bulls closed back to within 5-3 in the bottom of the inning, chasing Gonzalez after he allowed a walk and a single. Brooks Wilson came on in relief, allowing a sacrifice fly to score one run, and then singles by Joe Genord and J.D. Dutka to score another.
 
Wilson closed things out in the ninth for his 10^th save of the year.
 
In his seven plus innings of work, Gonzalez allowed three earned runs on five hits with three walks and nine strikeouts.
 
Spooner and Arenas had two hits each for the Hatters, who had just five in the game. Arenas drove in three runs. Stunkel had three of the Bulls' eight hits and also made a pair of diving catches in center to rob Hatters of hits.
 
The Hatters will be back home at Melching Field for a three-game series against cross-county rival Bethune-Cookman starting Thursday night. All three games in the series – Thursday, Friday and Saturday – will start at 6:30 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.