The Stetson baseball team didn't get off to the kind of start it had hoped for in ASUN play.
Down 5-0 in the league opener to Florida Gulf Coast on Friday when rain and lightning postponed action, the Hatters fell behind 10-0 when play resumed on Saturday, only to battle back to within 11-9 in the sixth inning before eventually falling to the Eagles 25-11. The FGCU bats stayed hot in the regularly scheduled Saturday game, lifting the Eagles to a 15-2 victory, assuring them of a series win to open the ASUN season.
Stetson falls to 12-7 overall on the year with the two losses while FGCU improved to 15-4. The teams will return to Melching Field on Sunday for the series finale with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.Â
Sophomore Brandon Hylton, making his first start of the year, was a bright spot in the opening game for Stetson. His fourth inning grand slam got the Hatters on the board and ignited the Stetson comeback. Stetson actually had a chance to take the lead in the sixth inning, having loaded the bases with the deficit down to 11-9, but Darien Smith came out of the FGCU pen to get the Eagles out of the inning with a strikeout.Â
The Eagles put the game away the next inning, scoring nine more runs off four Stetson pitchers. FGCU added two runs in the eighth inning and three more in the ninth to score the most runs allowed by a Stetson team in the history of Melching Field
Sophomore Nick Durgin (0-1) started and took the loss on the mound for Stetson. He allowed six runs in 3.1 innings of work
Freshman Yohann Dessureault went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIÂ for the Hatters, who collected 17 hits in the game. Freshman Daniel Labrador came off the bench to produce a pair of hits and drive in three runs.
FGCU was led by Ian Farrow, who had five hits, scored five runs and drove in five. He reached base all seven times he came to the plate and had a homer and two doubles. Harrison Povey also had a big game with five hits in seven at bats with four runs and three RBI. Alejandro Rodriguez had three hits and drove in six runs in the game for the Eagles.
FGCU dominated the second game from the start. Senior RHP Tyler Shuck (3-1) blanked the Hatters on four hits through the first 6.2 innings while the Eagles' offense continued to churn out the runs, taking advantage of the 10 walks allowed by Stetson pitchers to put together five multiple-run innings.
The bright spot in the game for Stetson was the performance of senior LHP Chris Gonzalez out of the Stetson pen. The veteran struck out eight over four innings of work while allowing three runs on three hits.
Stetson's only offense in the game came in the eighth inning when the first two Hatters reached base in front of Juan Correa, who delivered a double to the gap in right-center to score both runs. The Hatters had just five hits in the game
The trio of Alejandro Figueredo, Luis Rodriguez and Alejandro Rodriguez did most of the damage for the Eagles. Figueredo had three hits and drove in four runs as did Luis Rodriguez while Alejandro Rodriguez had three more hits and drove in six more runs, giving his 12 RBI in the series. Farrow continued to get on base and produce results, scoring four runs.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
About Stetson University Athletics:Â Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.
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