DELAND, Fla. - The Stetson Hatters dropped their series opener against the FGCU Eagles 6-0 on Friday night at Melching Field at Conrad Park. After winning nine of their last 10, the Hatters now fall to 23-11 on the season and 9-4 in conference play. They were held to just two hits in the contest including freshman Kyle Jones, who extends his on-base streak to 21 straight games.
Anthony DeFabbia started and took his first loss on the mound for Stetson this season as the senior southpaw falls to 6-1. Senior Nick Durgin was a bright spot out of the bullpen, going 5.1 innings, surrendering one run on four hits, walking one and striking out one.
Stetson managed one chance with runners on third in the shutout, going a total of 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Hatters last got a runner on third in the sixth, when Jones, who broke up the no-hitter with a leadoff single, made it 90 feet away from scoring with one out.
Despite the loss, the Stetson pitching staff limited FGCU to just 1-for-8 (.125) with runners in scoring position. Stetson faced 40 FGCU batters in the game, forcing nine ground balls and 14 fly balls while striking out three. The Hatters drew five walks from FGCU pitching while sophomore Landon Moran led the Hatters at the plate, going 1-for-3.
Stetson will return to action tomorrow as they continue their series with the Eagles at Melching Field. Senior Aric McAtee will take the mound for the Hatters as they look to even up the series at one apiece. All the action will be streamed to ESPN+ and live stats will be available at gohatters.com.
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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