DELAND, Fla. -- Stetson's seniors wanted one more opportunity to walk off the turf at Melching Field and they got that opportunity on Saturday, downing Jacksonville 9-4 to take the final ASUN series of the season from the Dolphins.
Stetson finished the year with a 26-29 overall record and finished 10-20 in ASUN play. JU closed the regular season with s 27-25 mark, 13-16 in league play. The Dolphins will move on to play in the ASUN Tournament next week in Fort Myers.
Senior Nick DiPonzio collected a season-high four RBI, two on bases-loaded single in the third inning and two more on a line drive homer in the fifth, to help propel the Hatters to the victory. He was one of nine Stetson seniors or graduates to see action in the season finale.
Graduate Nick Chiseri (2-1) started on the mound and picked up the win as both the Hatters and Dolphins used eight pitchers in the game. The southpaw opened the game with a shutout inning before leaving the field for the final time to an emotional welcome in the first base dugout by his teammates.
The Hatters wasted no time getting the scoring going, plating a run in the first off JU starter Christian Graham (2-4). Cameron Hill opened the game by drawing a walk before Kyle Ball, playing in his 198th and final game as a Hatter, followed with a single. The two moved up on a double steal and Hill came in to score on a ground ball.
Diponzio padded that lead in the third after JU reliever Parker Murphy loaded the bases on a walk, a throwing error and a hit batter. DiPonzio dropped a hit into right center to score two before Ball scored on a ground ball to make it a 4-0 Stetson lead.
Jacksonville cut the Stetson lead in half in the fifth inning after sophomore right-hander Jonathan Velazquez allowed a walk and an infield single. He got a fly ball for the first out and then surrendered a run on a ground out. Christian Coipel then delivered a two-out single to score the second run.
The Hatters answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the frame against JU reliever Tommy Allman. Ball opened the inning with his second hit and DiPonzio followed with a line drive homer to right. Consecutive walks after the homer brought about a pitching change for JU and sophomore Camden Traficante greeted Jack Carver with a bunt single to load the bases with no one out. Carver walked senior Banks Griffith to force in the third run before Carver got a strike out and a ground ball double play to end the inning.
Stetson padded its advantage with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings against two different JU hurlers. Ball was involved again in the sixth, drawing a one-out walk before stealing a base and scoring on a double by redshirt freshman Jakob Bullard that just missed leaving the park. Griffith accounted for the final Stetson run, reaching on his second hit before working his way around to score on a wild pitch.
JU closed the scoring in the eighth inning with two hits and a wild pitch. Stetson sophomore left-hander Anthony DeFabbia came on to put out the flames with a pair of strikeouts and an ground out before closing out the win in the ninth.
Ball, DiPonzio and Griffith had two hits each in the game to lead Stetson. Alex Imposimato led JU with three hits.
This story created through content automation technology from Data Skrive.
