Sophomore Cole Stallings struggled with his command on the mound to start Sunday's series finale against FGCU, and the three first inning runs he allowed were all the Eagles needed in a 6-2 victory over Stetson.

The victory gave FGCU (16-4, 3-0) just its second ever series sweep over the Hatters at Melching Field. Stetson falls to 12-8 on the year with the loss.

Stallings (3-1) was dominant after that first frame with the exception of two pitches. He fanned nine FGCU hitters over five innings of work, including five straight at one point. That stretch ended with a two-out walk in the fourth and, as they did throughout the weekend, the Eagles made Stetson pay with a two-run homer after the walk. FGCU got another homer, a solo shot, in the fifth inning to account for the final run.

Stallings went five innings, allowing all six FGCU runs, five earned, on five hits and three walks. 

Senior Cameron Hill led the way offensively for the Hatters, going 2-for-5 in the game with a home run of his own, a solo shot in leading off the sixth inning off FGCU starter Najer Victor (3-0). Freshman Andrew Estrella and sophomore Jakob Bullard also had two hit games for Stetson, as the Hatters out-hit the Eagles 8-6 in the game.

Stetson had a chance to make it a closer game in the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but Josh Seils was able to get out of the jam for the Eagles. Stetson stranded a total of 10 runners on base in the game.

The Hatters will try to bounce back when they take to the road this week for games at James Madison and Liberty. The Dukes are 10-9 on the season pending Sunday's series finale at Winthrop. Liberty, which was ranked 14th in the nation heading into their weekend series at North Florida, is now 14-4 on the year after taking two-of-three games from the Ospreys.

The game at James Madison on Wednesday is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start on Wednesday and is slated to be broadcast on FloSports, a pay-per-view channel. The weekend series at Liberty will be broadcast on ESPN+.

This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.

About Stetson University Athletics: 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.

Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.