DeLAND, Fla. - The Stetson University baseball team refused to be gator bait, picking up an emphatic 7-4 victory over the #4 Florida Gators on Tuesday night at Melching Field. Starting pitcher Ty Van Dyke struck out eight batters in front of a sellout crowd of 2,986, an all-time high that surpassed the previous record set on Opening Day in 1999. The Hatters never trailed in the contest as they put up five runs in the first inning while striking out a season-high 11 batters.

"I thought it was a well fought ballgame by both teams, they're obviously one of the premier teams in the country, but our guys came out ready to go toe-to-toe. I think we both played a good ballgame and we just got some big hits especially early when we capitalized on their mistakes. When you can do that, it shows you're becoming a better ballclub and I think that's what we did tonight," said Head Coach Steve Trimper.  "It's really big for the city, that was an electric atmosphere, sellout crowd, it does a lot for our town and our school."

Van Dyke escaped an early jam in the first inning after the Gator's leadoff man reached on a double before advancing on a passed ball. With a runner on third and no outs, Van Dyke struck out two batters before forcing a foul out to retire the side.

The Hatters quickly jumped on the momentum as they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom side of the first. Lorenzo Meola kicked things off with a single before Kyle Jones drew a walk and Landon Moran was hit by a pitch. Gio Cueto, who has recorded an RBI in every game this season, came through once again as the junior catcher laced a single up the middle to drive in a pair of runs. Brandon Hylton added another run when he poked a single through the left side but it was Juan De La Cruz who capped off the big first inning with a two-run single to right field for his first hit with the Hatters.

Van Dyke kept the Gators off the board again in the second, striking out three batters along the way. The Gators wouldn't go down quietly, however, as a pair of two-run homeruns in the third would cut the Stetson lead to 5-4. Despite this, Van Dyke remained unfazed and settled down to strike out the next three batters.

Following four back-and-forth scoreless innings, the Hatters looked to add insurance to a one-run lead in the bottom of the eighth. Jayden Hylton led off the side by legging out an infield single to short, his second hit of the game to make him 8 for 12 over his last three games. The sophomore outfielder then successfully swiped second base for his first stolen base of the season. Evan Griffis then provided the hit that would extend the lead, a single to right field that would plate Hylton. De La Cruz drew a walk to load the bases before Meola, who reached base a team-high 11 times via walk, drew another one to bring in a seventh run.

"Evan [Griffis] might of struggled a little bit in the beginning of the game but he really had a plan and stuck to the plan, drove it backside and hit me in," said Jayden Hylton. "We're a tough team, we go out and play each and every day, just do little things right and come out on top."

Cole Stallings, who entered the game in the 8th inning, slammed the door on the Gators to earn the save and secure the Hatters' fifth win of the season and their first against a ranked team. Van Dyke went 3.1 innings, allowing four runs while striking out a season-high eight batters. It was Anthony DeFabbia who earned the win, however, after the senior southpaw allowed one hit over 3.2 innings.

"All three pitchers, Ty did a great job then we had DeFabbia come in and kind of piece it together and obviously Cole coming in, slamming the door right there, especially when we got a little momentum from those two runs to give us some leeway. Big time game from our whole team," said Trimper.

Stetson, now 5-3 on the season, will return to action this weekend as they host the Brown University Bears at Melching Field at Conrad Park for a four game series. They'll begin with Bleacher Creature Appreciation Night on Friday at 6:30 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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