DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Stetson took a 6-3 lead into the eighth inning Wednesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, but couldn't hang on and fell to Bethune-Cookman 7-6.
The Wildcats walked off with the win when sophomore Kyle Wilkinson delivered a two-out RBI single in the ninth inning to score the winning run. A pair of walks early in the frame put the winning run in scoring position.
That walk-off hit came just minutes after the Hatters thought they had taken the lead in the top of the inning. Cam Hill appeared to have beaten out a two-out infield single that would have plated the go-ahead run, but was called out at first.
Senior Chris Gonzalez (0-2) took the loss on the mound for Stetson (14-10). Freshman Dominic Stagliano was brilliant in relief of starter Anthony DeFabbia, going four shutout innings while allowing two hits, walking two and striking out a career-high seven.
Bethune-Cookman improved to 11-14 on the season with their second win over the Hatters. Sophomore Dale Michaud (1-0) earned the victory in relief for the Wildcats.
Sophomore Jonathan Velazquez came on to pitch in the eighth in relief of Stagliano and allowed a walk and a double before retiring the next two Cookman batters, with a run scoring on a ground out. He appeared ready to get out of the inning when Wilkinson, who had just two hits in 24 at bats all year (.083) was sent up to pinch hit. He delivered an RBI single to cut the Stetson lead to 6-5.
Tanner Martin then came in to pitch, allowing an infield single and a walk to reload the bases before hitting Christopher Patterson on a pitch that the official had to talk about before making a decision. That forced in the tying run.
The Hatters trailed 1-0 in the third inning when they put four runs on the board against Cookman starter Marcos Gamboa. Yohann Dessureault, Brandon Hylton and Juan Correa all had RBI singles in the inning and the fourth run scored when Nick DiPonzio was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Cookman cut the lead to 4-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third and that was where the game stayed until the seventh when Stetson pushed two runs across on a two-run double off the bat of Correa who had two hits in the game and drove in three runs. Cam Hill had three hits on the night, including a leadoff triple to start the game. Daniel Labrador had a pair of hits, both doubles.
The Hatters were undone in part by their own mistakes. The team made four defensive errors, left 13 runners on base, including at least one in every inning, and had three runners thrown out on the bases, two at home. Cookman also left runners on base in every inning, stranding a total of 12 runners.
Stetson will return to ASUN play back home at Melching Field on Friday night when the Hatters open a three-game series against rival North Florida. Game times are set for 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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 (PDF).
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