DELAND, Fla. - The Stetson Hatters returned to Melching Field on Tuesday evening, welcoming the Fairfield Stags for the opener of a midweek series before opening ASUN play this weekend. The Hatters ultimately came up short on the day, falling 11-1 in seven innings.

Both sides went quietly through the game's first four innings, with both teams going down in order twice and seeing a chance erased on a double play, before Fairfield tallied the game's first runs in the top of the fourth.  The Stags (7-6) would load the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, before a double down the line in right field plated a pair for a 2-0 lead.

The Hatters (10-8) looked set to respond in the bottom of the inning, getting a walk from third baseman David Bermudez and a hit-by-pitch from second baseman Yohann Desserault, before ultimately coming up empty-handed.

Fairfield added on in the fifth, picking up eight more runs to push the lead to 10-0, and adding another in the sixth to make it 11-0.

Stetson got a run back in the bottom of the sixth, when Desserault tripled off the wall in center field before coming in to score on an RBI groundout from first baseman Landon Moran to close out the game's scoring at 11-1.

The Hatters and Stags are back in action at the MAC tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 PM. 

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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