DELAND, Fla. -The Stetson Hatters rebounded from a rough series opener on Saturday night, getting a strong pitching performance from junior Anthony DeFabbia on the mound and team-wide offensive explosion to take down the Delaware Blue Hens 15-3.

For the second time in two starts, DeFabbia came out firing, retiring the first 11 batters that he faced while striking out five of the first six. He didn't allow a base runner until the fourth inning and holding the Blue Hens hitless until the fifth inning. On the night he spun 6.2 innings of four hit, one run ball and struck out seven.

Not to be outdone, the Hatter offense started strong as well, striking four times in the game's first two frames. Centerfielder Cameron Hill led off the bottom of the first with a single before working his way around the bases thanks to a stolen base, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly from third baseman David Bermudez; giving Stetson the early 1-0 lead.

Stetson was the picture of efficiency in the second, as right field Jayden Hylton was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and designated hitter Brandon Hylton followed with a walk. Catcher Christian Pregent then collected the inning's only hit, ripping a single to left field to load the bases for second baseman Yohann Dessureault. Dessureault laced the ball back up the middle, off the Delaware fielder and into right field, plating both Hyltons. Shortstop Andrew Estrella capped the frame with an RBI groundout to drive in Pregent and give Stetson the 4-0 lead.

Estrella struck again in the fifth, leading off with his second home run of the weekend for a 5-0 lead, before left fielder Evan Griffis reached on an error. Griffis would advance all the way to third on another error, before finally coming in on an RBI single off the bat of first baseman Landon Moran to push the edge to 6-0.

After Delaware scratched out a run in the top of the seventh, Estrella got things going again in the bottom half of the inning, sneaking the ball just inside the third-base bag for a leadoff doubled. Griffis then drove him in with a double to the gap in right-center field and then scored thanks to a single from Moran, and third baseman Drew Wyers plated him with a single to center. After Moran was hit by a pitch and Jayden Hilton drew a walk to load the bases, Pregent was hit by another pitch to drive in a run and second baseman Logan Meola drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-1.

The Hatters weren't done though, getting an RBI walk from Jayden Hylton and a sacrifice fly from Brandon Hylton to bring Pregent to the plate with two on and two outs in the bottom of the eighth. The Stetson backstop closed out the scoring for the Hatters, launching a three-run homer well over the wall in left field for the 15-1 lead.

The Blue Hens plated a pair of runs in the top of the ninth, to cut it to 15-3, but that was all they could manage.

Cole Stallings worked the final 2.1 innnings, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three.

The Hatters and Blue Hens will look to settle the series tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 PM at Melching Field. 

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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