Stetson Tops Liberty 5-1 Saturday

The Stetson Hatters defeated the Liberty Flames 5-1 in the middle game of a three-game ASUN series, Saturday evening at Melching Field at Conrad Stadium.

The Hatters jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first and that was all that the home team needed, as three Stetson pitchers held the Flames to two hits in the contest.

Liberty drops to 27-14 overall and 13-7 in the ASUN Conference play. Stetson improves to 20-22 overall and 6-14 in conference play.

Box Score Highlights

Records: Liberty (27-14, 13-7 ASUN); Stetson (20-22, 6-14 ASUN)

Location: DeLand, Fla. (Melching Field at Conrad Stadium)|

WP: Chris Gonzalez (1-3) | LP: Dylan Cumming (4-2)

Scoring Summary

1^st INNING – STETSON – Bullard singles, Traficante and Hill score, 2-0

1^st INNING – STETSON – DiPonzio steal home, 3-0

4^th INNING – STETSON – Pregent doubles, Hylton scores, 4-0

5^th INNING – STETSON – DiPonzio flies out, Hill scores, 5-0

6^th INNING – LIBERTY – Anderson grounds into a double play, Baughman scores, 5-1

Notable Numbers

- Stetson outhit Liberty, 8-2, in the contest. The Flames committed the only error in the game.

- Each team left five men on base in the contest.

- No Liberty player had more than one hit in the game.

- Liberty starter Dylan Cumming takes the loss. The right-hander allowed five runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out six and walked one.

- Stetson starting pitcher Chris Gonzalez picks up the win. He gave up one run on one hit over six innings. He struck three and walked two.

- Relievers Bret Neilan and Danny Garcia held the Flames to one hit over the final three innings to close out the victory.

- Hatters’ first baseman Jakob Bullard had two hits and two RBI in the game.

Turning Point

Held scoreless through the first five innings, Liberty threatened to score in the sixth. Designated hitter Drew Baughman was hit by a pitch and second baseman Nick Keeter walked to lead off the inning. Catcher Gray Betts followed with a single to load the bases against Stetson’s Gonzalez. The left-hander induced a ground-ball double play by the next batter, right fielder Aaron Anderson, allowing Baughman to score Liberty’s first run of the evening to make it 5-1. Center fielder Derek Orndorff then bounce out to third to end the inning and the Flames’ scoring threat.

Beyond the Box Score

- With the win, Stetson knots the three-game series at 1-1. Liberty won Friday night’s game 2-1 in 15 innings.

- For the first time in 101 games, Liberty was held to two hits or less in a game. The last time the Flames were held to two hits or less was at East Carolina on March 4, 2020.

- Cumming had won each of his last three starts and worked into the seventh inning or more in each start.

Next Up

Liberty and Stetson will meet in the rubber game of their three-game series tomorrow at Melching Field at Conrad Park. First pitch is scheduled for Noon.