Stetson's opening weekend offensive woes continued on Sunday in the final day of the inaugural RyCass Classic as the Hatters fell to Manhattan 5-2.
Virginia Tech won Sunday's opening game 3-2 over Sam Houston State to finish a perfect 3-0 weekend. Stetson went winless in its opening weekend for the second time in three seasons. The three losses also matched the total number of home losses from the 2018 season.
Stetson managed just two hits over seven innings against 6-foot-10 Manhattan graduate transfer John Cain. The Lafayette transfer earned a victory on the mound for the first time since April 3, 2016, when he allowed two runs on five hits over six innings in an 11-2 victory over Army. It was just the third win of his collegiate career spanning four-plus seasons.
On Sunday, Cain was masterful in his Manhattan debut, working seven innings while allowing just one run on two hits with three walks and eight strikeouts. Junior T.J. Stuart pitched the last two innings for the Jaspers, allowing one run while striking out five.
Stetson junior
Ryan Stark (0-1) performed well for the Hatters in his first start since 2017. He allowed four runs, but only one earned, while allowing just two hits over 4.2 innings. Unfortunately for Stark, both hits he allowed were home runs.
Freshman
Bret Neilan worked 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one run on five hits. Fellow freshman
Daniel Paret worked a perfect final inning with the help of a spectacular diving catch by
Andrew MacNeil in right.
Manhattan got on the board with two out in the second inning when Santiago Riera blasted a solo home run to left.
Stetson tied the game in the fourth when
Eric Foggo singled to drive home
Austin Bogart, who had walked and stole second.
The game turned in the fifth inning thanks in large part to a throwing error that extended the frame. The Jaspers got one run on a fielder's choice after the error and then plated two more on Richie Barrella's blast. Manhattan added an extra run in the seventh on a two-out double by Shawn Blake.
Stetson got a run back in the eighth when Bogart delivered a two-out single to score
Jacob Koos, who had walked. The Hatters were unable to generate anything else, however, as the final four batters all struck out to end the game.
For the weekend, the Hatters were struck out a total of 39 times, 13 times in each game. Stetson only endured four such games all year in 2018.
The bright spot for the Hatters was the play of
Austin Bogart, who had five hits in 10 at bats on the weekend, while also walking twice and stealing three bags. The rest of the Stetson offense, combined to hit just .128 for the weekend.
Stetson will look to bounce back on Tuesday night when the Hatters travel to Orlando to square off against rival UCF. That game, at John Euliano Park, is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
The Hatters will be back at Melching Field on Saturday, February 23, to open a four-game series against Siena. The Saints were swept in a three-game set at UCF opening weekend, losing games 3-2, 5-1 and 7-1.
First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 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.
