DELAND, Fla. – The Stetson Hatters returned to ASUN Tournament action following a delayed start due to weather in the day's first game, taking on seventh-seeded Jacksonville State at Melching Field. The Hatters got their second strong bullpen performance of the tournament, this one from junior Nick Durgin, but scratched out just six hits on the day, falling to the Gamecocks 6-1.

Jacksonville State (26-28-) built a lead early, scoring three times in the first inning, one in the second, and two in the third to build a 6-0 lead and bring in Durgin to open the fourth inning. The righty echoed fellow Hatter reliever Jonathan
Gonzalez's performance from Tuesday's win over Eastern Kentucky, slamming the door on the Gamecocks over the final 6.0 innings. He allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out three.

A Stetson (34-23) offense that entered the game scoring at least six runs in eight out of its last ten games, struggled to string anything together despite consistent hard contact. The Hatters went in order in the first, second, and third before left fielder David Bermudez drew a one-out walk in the fourth. Center fielder Cameron Hill was hit by a pitch and a wild pitch moved both runners up, but Stetson came away empty-handed in the inning. The story was the same in the fourth, when a double play erased a leadoff single from designated hitter Brandon Hylton.

Stetson got another leadoff hit in the seventh, this time in the form of a double down the line in left off the bat of Hill. After first baseman Landon Moran moved Hill over with a productive out, catcher Christian Pregent drove him in with a sacrifice fly to right field to cut the JSU lead to 6-1.

Third baseman Drew Wyers was stranded at first in the eighth following his one-out single, and the Hatters threatened again in the ninth, getting back-to-back singles from Moran and Pregent, but were again turned away.

The Hatters play again tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 PM, closing out their portion of pool play against Austin Peay. The Hatters will then have Friday off while the rest of the pool play portion of the tournament wraps up.