Daytona Beach – Stetson's
Vlad Nunez was able to throw just two pitches in the bottom of the ninth inning on Wednesday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
His second pitch to Bethune-Cookman's Josten Heron was blasted through the wind and over the wall in left, giving the Wildcats a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Hatters.
On a night when Bethune-Cookman (9-12) used a different pitcher in every inning before the ninth, the Hatters had a hard time finding any offensive rhythm.
The Wildcats got on the board first in the second inning, scoring an unearned run after a misplay in center resulted in a three-base error. Clarence Carter singled the run home for a 1-0 lead.
The Hatters (8-12) answered with a pair of runs in the fourth inning off B-CU junior left-hander Bryan Melendez.
Austin Bogart led off the inning with a double, stole third and then scored on a sacrifice fly by
Noah Dickerson.
Mark Townsend, who walked and moved up on a wild pitch, scored from second on an infield single by
Jorge Arenas for a 2-1 Stetson lead.
Hatters starter
Chris Gonzalez worked into the fifth inning, allowing just the one unearned run on two hits with three strikeouts. Freshman
Danny Garcia came on to get out of a jam in the fifth inning and worked two before allowing a leadoff triple in the seventh from Heron.
Bogart came in to pitch for the Hatters and uncorked a wild pitch, allowing the run to score from third, tying the game at 2-2.
Stetson loaded the bases in the seventh inning, but failed to score. The Hatters also got single runners on base in the eighth and ninth against Brandon Wilkes (2-0), but were unable to come up with a clutch hit to drive a run across.
The Hatters managed just five hits in the game against the eight Wildcats hurlers. Arenas led Stetson with two hits.
Heron's two hits, and two runs, were the difference in the game for Bethune-Cookman.
The Hatters will return to action on Saturday evening when they square off against Michigan in Lubbock, Texas. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. (EDT) start.
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.
