ORLANDO, Fla. - The Stetson University baseball team took the road for just the second time this season, taking on in-state rival UCF at John Euliano Park on Wednesday night. Senior John Modugno took the mound for the midweek contest, making his first start as a Stetson Hatter.

The Hatters put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring after three scoreless innings. Freshman Kyle Jones came across to score the lone run of the inning for Stetson after reaching base on a leadoff single before taking second on a wild pitch. Landon Moran advanced Jones to third with a fly out to right while Gio Cueto plated the run with an RBI groundout to short, his 20th RBI of the season.

The Hatters were unable to hold the lead, however, as UCF scored seven times over the remaining five innings to hand the Hatters a 7-1 loss.

Modugno, now 0-1, took the loss as Stetson falls to 12-6 on the season. He struck out a pair of batters over 3.2 innings while allowing 2 earned runs on three hits. Senior Cole Stallings was a bright spot for the Hatters, coming out of the bullpen and throwing 1.1 shutout innings, allowing one hit, with one walk and two strikeouts.

As a staff, Stetson's pitchers limited UCF to just 1-for-6 (.167) with runners in scoring position. They faced 39 UCF batters in the game, forcing 12 ground balls and five fly outs while striking out seven.

Cueto, one of three Hatters with a hit, led Stetson at the plate, going 1-for-3 with an RBI.

The Hatters return to action on Friday as they start conference play against Jacksonville over the weekend. Stetson will travel to John Sessions Stadium in Jacksonville where they will play a three-game series starting at 7:00 PM on Friday.

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.