One infield single – that was the total hits in the first seven and a half innings Saturday night as Stetson's Daniel Paret and Fairfield's Trey McLoughlin squared off in a classic pitchers' duel.
 
That all changed in the bottom of the eighth inning when Stetson (11-2) drew its seventh walk off McLoughlin (0-2) with one out. That walk started a Hatters' avalanche that ended in a 5-0 Stetson victory.
 
McLaughlin was relieved by junior Nick Grabek, who gave up a walk and then hit a batter to load the bases before getting a strikeout. He appeared to be out of the inning when Eric Foggo hit a roller to first base, but Dylan Reynolds was unable to come up with the ball, allowing Andrew MacNeil to score.
 
Brandon Hylton followed with the first Stetson hit of the game, a solid single up the middle, to score two more runs. Foggo scored on another Fairfield (1-7) error and then Mark Townsend capped the inning with an RBI single.
 
Paret, who made his season debut, lived up to his preseason ASUN Pitcher of the Year billing. He allowed an infield single to open the second inning, followed by a walk, before retiring 16 consecutive Stags hitters. He left the game after seven innings having allowed the one hit with two walks and 11 strikeouts, one shy of his career high.
 
Freshman Kyle Yeoward (2-0) struck out the side in the eighth inning and was the beneficiary of the scoring outburst in the bottom of the frame. Garner Spoljaric came on to pitch the ninth, closing out the fourth Stetson shutout of the year, and third in the last four games.
 
McLoughlin received a standing ovation from the entire crowd at Melching Field when he left in the eighth inning. He finished with seven walks and eight strikeouts. He did not allow a hit and the one run he was charged with was unearned.
 
Hylton's two-run single in the eighth extended his hitting streak to 10 games. All five Stetson runs were unearned as a result of the error on Reynolds.
 
The Hatters will go for a sweep of the Stetson Invitational on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Stetson squares off against Harvard (0-5). The Crimson fell to Ohio State 13-1 in Saturday's opening game.
 
The Buckeyes and Stags will close out the tournament Sunday night when they square off at 7 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.