DeLand, Fla. - The Stetson University baseball team took to Melching Field for their first game of the round robin tournament with Maine, Fordham and Army on Friday, Feb. 23. While inclement weather pushed the start time back to 8:10 PM, the Hatters were unfazed, picking up a dominant 12-2 win over the Black Bears to improve their season record to 3-2 to start the season.

While Stetson clubbed three homeruns in the victorious effort, patience proved to be a virtue as they drew 15 walks, a program high under Head Coach Steve Trimper.

"I thought we played okay, we got above average pitching and I think a good trait is when you don't have your best stuff and you still give us a chance to win and I think that's what DJ did today. he didn't have his best stuff, had to go a little bit on short rest because we had some sickness going through the team but he gave us a chance to win the game," said Head Coach Steve Trimper. "We capitalized early to get the lead and kind of kept momentum but we still need to capitalize when they were giving us even more. I will say, when they are walking that many, it's tough to hit sometimes.

The Hatters jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. A walk drawn by Lorenzo Meola prior to Isaiah Barkett's hit by pitch set the stage for Landon Moran to deliver a triple down the right field line. Catcher Gio Cueto then extended his RBI streak to five straight games as he drove in Moran with a double down the right field line. Brandon Hylton and Evan Griffis would draw back-to-back walks but the bases, while loaded, would be stranded.

In the bottom of the fourth, freshman outfielder Kyle Jones left his mark in the game with a solo shot down the left line on the first pitch he saw, the first homerun of his collegiate career, extending the lead to 4-0.

Stetson broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Maine loaded the bases as Cueto, Daniel Labrador and Griffis all drew walks. Yohann Dessureault, who hit a homerun in Monday's game against West Virginia, delivered another timely hit with a two-run single to right field. Jones and Meola drew walks, promptly loading the bases once again before a fielder's choice by Luke Napolitano resulted in another run, furthering Stetson's lead to 8-0.

The Hatters tacked on another run in the bottom of the seventh after Meola and Napolitano drew walks. Logan Hughes, the DeLand native, recorded his first career hit in his first at-bat with a single to right field to juice the bases. 

Maine responded with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth but the Hatters would end the game during their side of the inning. Labrador led off the side with a walk before Griffis launched a homerun to deep left field, his second of the season, giving the Hatters an 11-2 lead. After Dessureault and Jones drew walks, Meola pushed the lead to 12-2 with a double down the left field line.

Dylan Jacobs got the starting nod to begin the weekend, going 4.0 innings while yielding four hits and striking out three in a scoreless effort. Despite the strong start from Jacobs, Cole Stallings earned the win after reliving Jacobs. Stallings and Chris Shrine combined for three innings while striking out three batters and allowing no hits or runs.

"It's a good way to start the weekend off, that was a team that was in the regional last year, I know they lost some guys but obviously they're going to reload and anytime you play a team with regional experience that's important for us to learn," said Trimper.

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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