DELAND, Fla. -West Georgia baseball fell 4-3 to Stetson University in Friday night's game one of the first conference road series of the season.
Backed by solid pitching from UWG (5-17, 2-2 ASUN) and the Hatters' (10-13, 2-2 ASUN) staffs, both offenses struggled to drive runners home, resulting in a neck-and-neck game that went in the hosts' favor. A combined 19 base runners were left stranded tonight.
"I thought we competed well. Our pitchers threw well. I just wish we could have come out on top," said head coach Jeff Smith. "I told the guys, we gave up all four runs with two outs. And that's where we've got to be able to shut the door, you know. We've got to be able to get out of the inning. Other than that, I'm just excited. Our guys can compete and they're playing hard. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Tonight's ASUN action opened with Stetson striking first. Following a base hit, SU drove the Hatter home with an RBI double to right field to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second.
Through West Georgia's first three chances to bat, UWG reached on a pair of singles, walks and a hit by pitch, but all four Wolves would be left stranded before making it home.
Hungry to get on the board, first baseman
Fano Cruz kicked things off in the fourth inning, hitting his second consecutive single of the night. Left fielder
Anthony Cole followed it up with a double to put both Wolves into scoring position. With bags loaded after right fielder
Brady McDevitt was walked, shortstop
Jacob Bowman put West Georgia ahead 2-1 with an RBI single to left.
In the bottom of the frame, starting pitcher
Maverick Torres recorded his fourth and fifth strikeouts before a Hatter could get on base. Following the hot start, SU responded with a pair of base hits and an RBI double to jump back out in front, 3-2.
Continuing to stay hot, Stetson homered in the fifth frame to extend its lead to 4-2.
The Hatters held a two-run lead until catcher
David Bell popped a sacrifice fly up into left field, cutting the hosts' lead to 4-3 in the seventh.
Unfortunately, UWG could not get enough going to overtake the Hatters. Wolves fell 4-3.
Torres was tagged with the loss, bringing his record to 1-4 on the season. In five innings, he struck out five batters and conceded four earned runs.
UWG and SU return to Conrad Park tomorrow for game two of the three-game ASUN series. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m., and the live coverage links are tagged on the UWG baseball schedule.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
-In two frames, junior righty
Grant Edwards struck out one Hatter and prevented them from scoring.
-Redshirt junior
Davis Williams did not allow Stetson to score in his lone frame. He has only allowed one run in the last six innings on the mound.
-Designated hitter
Andon Lewis and Cruz both recorded a team-high two hits.
-Bowman pushed his hitting streak to four games with his RBI single in the fourth.
-UWG finished the night leaving nine guys on base, while Stetson left ten.
-Stetson leads the series 1-0. They now lead the all-time series 6-1.
