Stetson eliminated from ASUN baseball tournament despite 12-3 win over Austin Peay
DELAND — The Stetson Hatters did their part Thursday afternoon.
Starting with a six-run first inning, they blew past Austin Peay 12-3 at Melching Field. The victory kept them alive in Pool B of the ASUN Conference tournament for at least a few hours.
Until Jacksonville State dashed their hopes.
The Gamecocks, who upset Stetson 6-1 Wednesday, took down Eastern Kentucky 9-3 Thursday evening to clinch a spot in Saturday’s semifinals. Even if they lose to Austin Peay Friday, they will advance because they own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Hatters.
Stetson’s season is over. It finished with a 35-23 record.
Thursday’s contest vs. the Governors was a high note, though.
“All facets of the game,” said Steve Trimper, who earned his 200th win as Stetson's head coach. “We had great defense. The pitching was electric … And then, obviously, the bats. They were coming at us with fastballs. We were staying really short and just driving the ball up the middle.”
STETSON'S FIRST TOURNAMENT GAME: Hatters swing hot bats, hold off Eastern Kentucky
STETSON'S SECOND TOURNAMENT GAME: Hatters fall to Jacksonville State
After giving up a run in the top of the first, the Hatters took charge in the bottom of the inning. They brought 12 hitters to the plate, tallying six hits, two walks and a hit-by-pitch that resulted in six runs. Governors starter Paul Rector lasted just one-third of an inning.
Freshman shortstop Lorenzo Meola led off with a hit-by-pitch and came around to tie the game at 1-1 on a double by senior center fielder Cameron Hill. Two batters later, junior catcher Christian Pregent handed Stetson a lead it never lost with a two-run single.
Then, junior designated hitter Brandon Hylton jacked a two-run dinger, which served as the biggest blow of the inning. From the moment it left his bat at 112 miles per hour, he knew it was gone. It landed 454 feet from home plate over the right-centerfield fence.
“Not only was it impressive how far it went but how quickly it got out of here,” Trimper said. “It was a shot. He’s got big power.”
Meola, up for the second time in the frame, singled home the final run of the inning to make it 6-1.
The Hatters’ bats remained hot the rest of the day.
They picked up one run in the second, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and one in the eighth.
Overall, Stetson collected 13 hits, including a home run by Pregent, who notched a game-high four RBIs. Four Hatters had multiple hits.
Sophomore right-hander Dylan Jacobs started for Stetson and hurled a complete game. After allowing one run in the first and another in the second, he settled in. Austin Peay got its lone run in the final seven innings on a seventh-inning homer.
Jacobs gave up only five hits and ended with a career-high 11 strikeouts. His teammates mobbed him on the mound after he closed the game with another K.
“I felt better as the game went on,” he said. “I didn’t feel any fatigue or anything until the ninth inning.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: College baseball: Stetson wins, is eliminated from ASUN tourney
