In the 106 seasons of Stetson baseball history, only two teams ever started a season with as many as eight consecutive wins.
 
The 1981 and 2002 squads got company on Saturday when the Hatters swept their third double-header of the season, downing visiting North Alabama 16-5 and 6-0 to improve their season-opening win streak to eight games.
 
The Hatters will try to become the first Stetson team to win its first nine games on Sunday in the series finale against the Lions. The first pitch is slated for noon at Melching Field.
 
Stetson scored early, and often, in the opener, batting around in consecutive innings to turn a 3-3 game into a blowout. The Hatters scored five runs in the fifth and added eight more in the sixth to blow the game open.
 
Freshman left-hander Anthony DeFabbia went five innings to get the win with the quartet of Garner Spoljaric, Joshua Plummer, Jonathan Velazquez and Austin Wood pitching an inning each to close out the game.
 
UNA's six pitchers combined to walk 12 batters and hit another five while also throwing two wild pitches and getting called for a pair of balks.
 
The second game was all about another freshman pitcher, Jovan Gill (2-0). Before last weekend, it has been since 2004 that Stetson had a freshman hurler throw a complete game shutout. The Hatters have now had two in the first eight days of the season.
 
Gill was never seriously threatened, allowing just two hits – both to the same hitter – through the first five innings. The Lions added a pair of singles in the last two frames, but never came close to scoring. Gill finished with five strikeouts and one walk in his shutout performance. He needed just 84 pitches to go the seven innings.
 
Offensive, the Hatters again took advantage of a pair of UNA errors to score five times in the third inning to take control of the game.
 
Game 1 Facts

• Win – Anthony DeFabbia (2-0)
• Loss – Chase Best (0-1)
• Time – 3:10

 
Game 1 Scoring Summary

• B1 – Andrew MacNeil opened the game with a walk, moved up on a hit-and-run single by Kyle Ball and then scored when Hernen Sardinas hit a foul pop down the left-field line, tagging up on the catch.
• T2 – UNA got an infield hit from Garret Smith, with two outs followed by a solid single from Devne Daniel to get Smith to Third. Daniel got into a run-down between first and second, allowing Smith to score before before getting tagged for the final out of the inning.
• B3 – MacNeil was hit by a pitch with one out, moved up when Nick DiPonzio drew a walk and both scored on a double by Sardinas for a 3-1 Stetson lead.
• T5 – Garrett Smith drew a one-out walk and Devne Daniel followed with a homer to left to tie the game at 3-3.
• B5 – Stetson gained control, posting five runs in the inning. MacNeil opened with a double and scored on a single by Ball. DiPonzio followed with a homer to make it 6-3. After a pitching change, Eric Foggo singles and scored on a triple by Brandon Hylton. A walk and two hit batters later Hylton scored for an 8-3 Hatters lead.
• B6 – The flood gates came open as Stetson scored eight runs on just two hits thanks to six walks, two hits batters and an error. Foggo had an RBI single and Sardinas doubled in a run to make it 16-3.
• T7 – Joshua Plummer came on to pitch for Stetson and walked the first two batters he faced. A couple of ground ball outs and a wild pitch plated two runs, making it 16-5.

 
Game 2 Facts

• Win – Jovan Gill (2-0)
• Loss – Kyle Moore (0-1)
• Time – 1:47

 
Game 2 Scoring Summary

• B2 – Hylton laced his second triple of the day off the wall in center and then scored on a double by Banks Griffith for a 1-0 lead.
• B3 – Another big inning as Stetson scored five times on three hits with a pair of UNA errors thrown in. MacNeil singled to start the inning and then advanced to third on a ground ball by Ball that was thrown away on a fielder's choice. Connor Kehl drew a wall to load the bases for Sardinas, who picked up an RBI the hard way when he was hit by a pitch. Hylton plated a second run on a ground ball and then Foggo singled in two more before advancing on an overthrown pickoff attempt and scoring on another hit by Griffith, making it 6-0. 

Hatters Notes

• In addition to Plummer, Velazquez and Wood, who all made their season debuts on the mound for Stetson in the first game, freshmen Jakob Bullard and Ryne Guida also made their collegiate debuts in the game.
• The appearance on the mound for Wood was his first since March 6, 2019. He missed the rest of that season, and did not pitch last year, after a shoulder injury.
• By the end of the first game of the day, the only starter still in the game for Stetson was first baseman Hernen Sardinas, who had two hits and drove in four runs in the game. He drove in a run and scored one in the second game, but was hitless and enters play on Sunday with 199 career hits.
• Hylton broke out of early season slump with a pair of triples, one in each game. It was the first two triples of the season for Stetson.
• After getting a hit and scoring a run as a pinch hitter in the first game, Griffith made his first start for Stetson in the nightcap, picking up two more hits and driving in two runs.
• Foggo had three hits and drove in three runs on the day, continuing his big week offensively. He had two hits and drove in four in the win over UCF on Tuesday.
• MacNeil crept ever closer to Patrick Mazeika's career record for times hit by a pitch when he was plunked in the third inning of the opener. MacNeil has now been hit 37 times in his career, 11 shy of Mazeika.
• In the three games of the series, pitchers have been called for balks five times.
• With the three wins this weekend, Stetson has improved to 81-37 all-time against teams from Alabama.

 
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.