JACKSONVILLE - Though they had plenty of opportunities, Stetson had a hard time cashing them in, leaving 13 Hatters on base in a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Dolphins on the road on Friday night.

Senior Dylan Jacobs (0-2) made the start on the mound for Stetson (11-12) but took the loss. Sophomore southpaw Matthew Heyl provided a bright spot, coming out of the bullpen to throw 3.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Max LeBlanc also impressed, tossing three scoreless innings while striking out two and not allowing a hit.

The Hatters' offense drew eight walks as a team. The first five batters in the lineup all drew walks while three of them also added hits, including leadoff man Isaiah Barkett, freshman outfielder Foster Apple, and first baseman Landon Moran, the team leader in batting average. Barkett and Moran extended their hitting streaks to eight straight games, while junior shortstop Lorenzo Meola's streak came to an end, though he did reach base for the 15th consecutive game.

Trailing 5-0 in the seventh, Stetson finally got on the scoreboard. Meola drew a bases-loaded walk, scoring Evan Griffis, who reached base three times in the game.

The Hatters kept Jacksonville scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, and in the ninth, they narrowed the gap. After a pinch-hit single by junior Jordan Taylor to lead off the inning, Taylor came around to score, cutting the Dolphins' lead to 5-2. However, Stetson's rally fell short as the game ended with the Dolphins holding on for the win.

Stetson will look to even the series tomorrow night at John Sessions Stadium in Jacksonville, with a 7:00 PM start.