Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Redshirt freshman
Nick Durgin turned in the best performance of his career on Friday night, throwing eight no-hit innings in leading Stetson to a 4-2 series-opening win over No. 23 Alabama at Sewell-Thomas stadium.
The win snaps Stetson's four-game losing streak and improves the Hatters' record to 11-4 on the year, matching the start the team had during the 2020 season. Alabama falls to 12-3 with the loss.
Durgin faced major problems just once in the first eight innings, loading the bases in the second inning on a hit batter, a dropped fly ball in center and a walk. He got out of the inning with a ground out and went on to strike out nine Alabama hitters.
Things got shaky for Durgin and the Hatters in the ninth inning when his first two pitches we banged for a single and a home run. He left the rest of the ninth inning to redshirt sophomore
Danny Garcia, who surrendered a pair of hits of his own, but also got two strikeouts and a ground out to preserve the win.
The Hatters managed just five hits in the game off a trio of Alabama hurlers, but four errors by the Crimson Tide opened the door for Stetson to build a 4-0 lead and then hang on for the win.
Stetson catcher
Christian Pregent was the only player in the game to manager more than one hit and
Kyle Ball drove in a pair of runs for the Hatters.
Stetson will continue its weekend series against No. 23 Alabama on Saturday afternoon. All three games in the series are set to air on SEC Network+ with start times of 3 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday after Daylight Saving Time kicks in.
Game Facts
Scoring Summary
- T2 – A pair of errors on the Alabama defense followed by a pair of ground balls produced the first Stetson run. Jackson Olson followed with his first home run as a Hatter to make it 2-0.
- T6 – Two walks, a third Alabama error and sacrifice flies by Brandon Hylton and Kyle Ball pushed the Stetson lead to 4-0.
- B9 – Drew Williamson led off the inning with a single on the first pitch to break up Durgin's no-hit bid. Zane Denton followed on the next pitch with a home run to center field, cutting the Stetson lead to 4-2.
Hatters Notes
- Graduate transfer Hernen Sardinas was not in the lineup for Stetson for the first time this year on Friday. Sardinas has been nursing a sore leg.
- Durgin flirted with throwing the third no-hitter for Stetson in the last four years. Stetson got a complete-game no-hit performance from Mitchell Senger against George Washington in 2018 and a combined no-hitter against Florida State in Mike Martin's final game in DeLand in 2019.
- Olson's second inning home run was the fifth of his career, but first in a Stetson uniform. He is the eighth Stetson player to hit a home run so far this year.
- The victory evened Stetson's all-time record against Alabama at 2-2. It also gave Hatters coach Steve Trimper a win over the 110th program in his coaching career.
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.
