Florence, Ala. – Stetson went into Sunday's series finale at North Alabama looking to complete a sweep of the Lions, but a bad second inning short-circuited that plan in a 6-2 loss.
UNA took advantage of a pair of Stetson errors and a pair of walks, plus a passed ball, in a its four-run second and made it stand up. It was the first ASUN victory for Lions, who improved to 5-21 overall in their first season in Division I.
The loss snapped Stetson's 11-game regular season win streak against ASUN foes. The Hatters fell to 12-15 overall this year.
A pair of left-handed pitchers for UNA, sophomore starter Jacob Laws and junior reliever Bryant Claunch (1-1) quieted a Stetson offense that had scored 10 or more runs in three consecutive games, holding the Hatters to just a pair of tallies on five hits on Sunday.
Stetson starter
Robbie Peto (0-5) took the loss despite pitching well outside of the one inning. The sophomore allowed just one earned run on seven hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out seven.
The only earned run scored by UNA on the afternoon came on a leadoff home run in the fifth from sophomore Kevin Brenning.
Stetson scored its only runs in the fourth and sixth innings, but also left five runners on base in those two frames.
Baylen Sparks led off the fourth with a double off Laws and came in to score two outs later in a single by
Eric Foggo. Claunch came on in relief there and, after allowing a walk to load the bases, ended the Stetson threat with the first of his eight strikeouts.
In the sixth,
Austin Bogart led off against Claunch with an infield single, and worked his way around to score on a wild pitch. Claunch got a strikeout and a ground ball to get out of trouble and leave a pair of Stetson runners in scoring position.
The Hatters never really threatened over the final three frames as Claunch closed out the game by allowing just a walk in the seventh and a hit batter in the ninth. He fanned the final three Stetson hitters to close out the game.
Stetson will return home to Melching Field to open a five-game home-stand on Tuesday night when the Hatters host UCF. That game is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start. Stetson will host NJIT next weekend for the second ASUN series of the year.
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.
