Stetson senior captain Jorge Arenas could have hung his head Sunday at Melching Field after committing a pair of errors, but he instead delivered in the clutch, roping a hit to the wall in left with two-out in the ninth inning to give the Hatters a 3-2 victory over Hartford.
 
The big hit gave the Hatters (6-1) the weekend series win after dropping the opener on Friday night. Hartford fell to 1-2 on the year.
 
After scoring a pair of runs in the third inning against Hartford freshman starter Ken Turner, the Hatters could have blown the game open early. Instead, the inning was cut short when Andrew MacNeil was called out at home on a close, and controversial, play to end the frame.
 
Stetson had a chance to add to a 2-1 lead in the fourth, but Arenas grounded into a double play with one out and the bases loaded to end the threat.
 
Hartford tied the game in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, but the Hatters came right back in the bottom of the inning with a chance to score. That rally was cut short when Brandon Hylton was thrown out at the plate on a single by Christian Pregent.
 
The Hatters failed to threaten in the seventh or eighth innings, but got off to a good start when Hylton doubled to open the ninth. The hit extended the redshirt freshman's streak to all seven games this year after he was walked twice earlier in the game. Three batters later, after a pop out, an intentional walk and a ground out, Arenas came to the plate.
 
The senior fell behind in the count, but got a 1-2 pitch he could handle and blasted it over the head of Devin Kellogg in left to start the celebration.
 
Junior closer Garner Spoljaric (2-0) earned the win in relief, holding the Hawks to just one hit over the final 2.1 innings after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. Freshman starter Nick Durgin went 5.2 innings in his second start, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits. Danny Garcia got the Hatters out of the sixth and then recorded a pair of strikeouts in the seventh after the two Arenas errors put the go-ahead runners in scoring position.
 
Junior James Judenis (0-1) took the loss for Hartford in relief of Turner. The starter worked six innings, allowing the two runs on seven hits. Judenis allowed the two hits in the ninth inning along with the winning run.
 
Arenas, who doubled in the first run of the game for Stetson in the third, was one of three Hatters with two hits in the game. Pregent and Eric Foggo also had two hits each. Foggo drove home Arenas with the second run of the game on the same play when MacNeil was called out at home.
 
Hartford scored an unearned run in the first on a sacrifice fly after an error and added another in the sixth on a second sac fly.
 
The Hatters will continue their seven-game homestand on Wednesday night when they host Florida for the first time since the 2017 season. The Gators will likely enter the game as the consensus No. 1 team in the nation after sweeping former No. 1 Miami over the weekend in Coral Gables.
 
The game on Wednesday is set for a 6:30 p.m. start. The first 250 fans through the gate will receive the second card in the 2020 Stetson Baseball card set, this one featuring Jonathan Meola.
 
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.