Ft. Myers, Fla. – By almost any measure, Stetson's
Kyle Ball had a weekend to forget against Florida Gulf Coast.
When the redshirt junior came to the plate in the sixth inning of Sunday's game, he was hitless in 10 at-bats in the series. He had two runners on base and the Hatters were trailing 5-4. FGCU reliever Joey Mugavero had him in an 0-2 hole and broke off a nasty slider.
Ball checked his swing, but with much chirping from the FGCU dugout, who thought he went around. Ball took advantage of his second chance, working his way to a 3-2 count before ripping a two-run double to right center, giving Stetson a 6-5 lead.
Ball came in to score later to make it a 7-5 Stetson lead, which the Hatters made stand up to clinch a series victory against the South Division leading Eagles.
Stetson improved to 22-14 with the victory, 8-4 in ASUN play. FGCU has the same overall and league mark. Stetson also has the tie-breaker over the Eagles for ASUN Tournament seeding thanks to a 4-2 season series win.
While it was the four-run sixth inning that gave Stetson the lead, it was the work on the mound by freshman
Jovan Gill that gave the Hatters a chance to even be in the game. Gill came on in relief of starter
Bret Neilan in the first inning with the Eagles already leading 5-1, and with no one out.
Gill kept the Eagles right there for five innings, allowing just three hits, giving Stetson a chance to claw back into the game. He was relieved by
Nick Long, who turned in three shutout frames, allowing two hits, before
Danny Garcia worked a perfect ninth to close out the victory.
The Stetson offense banged out a series-best 12 hits in the game, with two each from
Andrew MacNeil,
Brandon Hylton,
Banks Griffith and
Eric Foggo.
The Hatters will close out their five-game road trip on Tuesday night in Tallahassee against Florida State in the only scheduled matchup between the teams this spring. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
Game Facts
Scoring Summary
- T1 – Andrew MacNeil got things started with a single to right. After Kyle Ball drew a walk, Hernen Sardinas singled to load the bases. Brandon Hylton gave Stetson an early 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly.
- B1 – Bret Neilan walked first FGCU batter he faced. An error on a ground ball put two runners on base from Steven Wilmer, who doubled to right center, plating both runners. Another walk put two on base for Ian Farrow, who homered to right, ending Neilan's day and giving FGCU a 5-1 lead.
- T4 – Eric Foggo singled and moved up when Christian Pregent was walked. Nick DiPonzio moved both runners up with a slow roller to third and Jorge Arenas drove Foggo home with a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 5-2.
- T5 – Hylton reached on a two-out single and then scored from first on a double by Banks Griffith, moving the Hatters to within 5-3.
- T6 – Nick DiPonzio got the inning started with a home run to right. The Hatters quickly added on, getting a single from Arenas followed by consecutive doubles by MacNeil and Ball to put Stetson up 6-5. Hylton followed later with a two-out single to score Ball, giving Stetson a 7-5 lead.
Hatters Notes
- MacNeil scored five more runs in the weekend series, running his season total to 47.
- Stetson has now won 10 of its last 12 games against FGCU and leads the Eagles 23-22 in the all-time series between the teams.
- Freshman Jovan Gill earned a win and a save with his work on the mound during the weekend.
- Stetson's bullpen worked a combined 12.2 innings in the series against FGCU, allowing one run on five hits.
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.
