Box Score Orlando, Fla. – Things got a little tight for the Stetson Hatters in the ninth inning Tuesday night at John Euliano Field, but junior Garner Spoljaric came out of the bull pen to record his first save as Stetson downed UCF 6-5.
 
For the Hatters (4-0) it was the first victory over the Knights (4-1) in Orlando since 2007 and just the second overall victory over UCF during that stretch. The only other Hatters win in the series since 2007 came during the 2018 season, but that win came at Melching Field.
 
The two teams went back-and-forth all evening, with Stetson taking an early 2-0 lead before UCF came back to tie the game. The Hatters went back up 3-2, but the Knights answered right back to take a 4-3 lead. Stetson finally broke through in the seventh inning, scoring three times to take a 6-4 lead before the Knights gave one final comeback effort in the ninth.
 
Stetson sophomore Danny Garcia was on point in his first career start, working through the first three innings without a blemish. The Hatters got on the board in the third when Jorge Arenas led off with a double against UCF starter Zack Hunsicker and then came in to score when Hunsicker's throw to first on Kyle Ball's sacrifice bunt sailed wide of the bag and down the right field line.
 
The Hatters made it a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning when junior Eric Foggo blasted a line drive homer to left off Jaylin Whitehead, the first of six UCF relievers in the game. The Knights came right back in the bottom of the frame when an infield single by Gephry Pena was followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Dalton Wingo.
 
Foggo struck again in the sixth inning, this time off David Litchfield, but the Knights answered in the bottom of the inning. Freshman Kyle Yeoward (1-0) was on in relief of Garcia and retired the first two hitters he faced. He almost got an inning-ending strikeout of Tom Josten, but Christian Pregent was unable to hold on to the foul tip for the third strike. Josten walked on the next pitch and then Jordan Rathbone hit a two-run homer for a 4-3 Knights lead.
 
Stetson answered right back in the seventh against Billy McKay (0-1). Ball and Mark Townsend singled and Giovany Lorenzo drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Jonathan Meola was then hit by a pitch to force in the tying run. After getting Foggo on a foul pop, left-handed reliver Ryan Saltonstall was brought in to face Stetson freshman first baseman Brandon Hylton.
 
The big left-handed hitter stayed back and singled into right center to score two runs for a 6-4 Hatters' lead.
 
Junior Chris Gonzalez came on to pitch in the seventh for Stetson and retired the first seven men he faced before allowing a one-out walk, followed by a pinch-hit double by Ben McCabe in the ninth.
 
That is where Spoljaric came in. The junior crossed up Christian Pregent, his freshman catcher, for a passed ball to allow the lead runner to score but, with the tying run at third base, Spoljaric recorded back-to-back strikeouts to close out the win for Stetson.
 
Foggo led the way offensively with three hits for Stetson while Hylton had two, including the big two-run, go-ahead, single. UCF was limited to seven hits in the game.
 
The Hatters will be back at Melching Field on Friday night to open up a 19-game home-stand when Hartford comes in for a three-game series. It will be the season-opener for the Hawks, who last appeared in DeLand during the 2018 NCAA Regional. First pitch on Friday night 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.