The Stetson baseball team snapped a four-game skid Tuesday night by battling through every inning and every at bat in their game against Bethune-Cookman at Melching Field.
 
The Hatters (17-15) spotted the visiting Wildcats (13-19) three runs, but then slammed the door on the Cookman offense, giving the Stetson bats time to come to life.
 
It took some time for Stetson to get the offense going as the Hatters stranded eight runners on base over the first three innings, but Brandon Hylton broke the ice in the fourth inning with a two-out triple to shallow right center, scoring Cameron Hill to get Stetson on the board.
 
Jake Bullard followed with a single behind the bag at second to score Hylton and cut the deficit to 3-2.
 
The Hatters took the lead in the sixth inning, scoring four runs on just one hit. Stetson played small-ball in the inning, converting two walks and a Hylton double, with the help of two wild pitches from Wildcats hurlers, a passed ball, a stolen base and two well-executed bunt plays to score the runs.
 
Stetson manufactured another run in the eighth inning on a walk to Hylton, another stolen base, a single by Bullard and a ground ball off the bat of Yohann Dessureault.
 
Overall, the Hatters had 10 hits in the game against six Cookman pitchers. Junior right-hander Amir Asghar (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs on a hit and two walks in his inning of work.
 
Freshman Dominic Stagliano (3-0) got the victory for Stetson, throwing two shutout innings with three strikeouts. The four Stetson hurlers who followed starter Daniel Paret combined to record 15 strikeouts in the game.
 
Paret, who went to the mound for Stetson for the first time in 766 days, was understandably excited to finally get back on the field, but he struggled with his control, walking four of the five batters he faced. A two-run single by B-CU catcher Boris Pena got the Wildcats on the board.
 
Sophomore Jonathan Gonzalez came into the game in the first with the bases loaded and no one out. He recorded a pair of strikeouts before allowing a walk of his own, forcing in a run. He finished off the inning with another K to limit the damage.
 
Cookman never seriously threatened to score the rest of the night.
 
Gonzalez worked four innings, allowing one hit with seven strikeouts. Stagliano went the next two with three Ks following by Anthony DeFabbia and Bret Neilan.
 
Hylton, Bullard and Camden Traficante led the Stetson offense with two hits each. Cameron Hill reached base four times on three walks and a hit-by-pitch and scored a pair of runs.
 
The Hatters will now embark on an eight-game road stretch starting on Thursday afternoon in Jacksonville at Sessions Stadium. Stetson and Jacksonville are tied, along with North Florida, for fourth place in the ASUN Eastern Division and will be battling among each other for the chance to advance to the ASUN Tournament at the end of May.
 
Games at Jacksonville this Easter weekend are scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, with a 1 p.m. start planned on Saturday.
 
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.

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