DELAND — Brandon Hylton admired his work for a moment.
As soon as the ball left his bat at 112 miles per hour, Stetson’s junior designated hitter knew it was gone. No doubt about it. He paused in the batter’s box, then walked the first few steps toward first base, watching his two-run blast sail over the right-centerfield wall and land 454 feet away.
It was the biggest blow of the Hatters’ six-run first inning that put them up for good against Austin Peay Thursday. They cruised to a 12-3 victory in their third Pool B game of the ASUN Conference tournament at Melching Field.
“All facets of the game,” Stetson coach Steve Trimper said. “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 ⅓ 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, Hylton jacked the two-run dinger.
“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 drove in 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 solo homer.
Jacobs gave up only five hits and finished with 11 strikeouts. His teammates mobbed him on the mound after he ended the game with a strikeout.
“I felt better as the game went on,” he said. “I didn’t feel any fatigue or anything until the ninth inning.”
With the win, Stetson kept itself mathematically alive in the tournament bracket, but it does require some assistance to qualify for Saturday’s semifinals.
If Jacksonville State, who upset the Hatters on Wednesday, beats Eastern Kentucky this evening, the Gamecocks move on and Stetson is eliminated. But if Jacksonville State loses to the Colonels, the Hatters advance.