The Hatters reached the board first in the bottom of the second after opening the frame with a James Rasmussen base hit spiked back at starter Scott Garner's ankles, followed by a single chopped through the middle by Garrett Russini. Rasmussen crossed the plate for the game's opening run on Mitchel Brennan's sacrifice fly to left field.

The Wildcats responded in the top of the third as Chris Biocic reached base on balls and advanced on consecutive singles from Shaun McCarty and Josh Johnson, while Eros Modena brought him home on a sac fly to dead center. Facing a bases loaded situation, David Lee took a full-count walk for the RBI and the 2-1 Wildcats lead.

The score remained locked in a one-run game through the next three frames, but Stetson knotted it up at in the bottom of the seventh as Robert Bruce brought home Carlos Garmendia with a floating backside RBI single just beyond third base to make it a 2-2 contest.

Garner began his longest career outing by taking the mound in the eighth, holding the Hatters to just four hits to that point, but momentum shifted quickly in Stetson's favor in the home side of the frame. Kevin Fagan led off with a single to third base and advanced on a sac bunt. Garner worked into a jam with consecutive hit batters to load the bases, prompting a pitching change to closer Jordan Dailey.

The Hatters converted on the comeback opportunity, with Russini putting a hard-hit line single through the right side, scoring two after an error in right field. Garmendia added to the total with an RBI single to shallow left, Brennan hit an RBI double to right field and Bruce wrapped the five-run frame with an RBI groundout to the shortstop.

In the top of the ninth, McCarty reached base with two outs on a full-count single and Johnson joined him as a hit batter, but the frame closed on a fly-out to left center, locking in the 7-2 comeback loss for the Wildcats.

Taking the loss, Garner (2-2) pitched 7 1/3 innings with two walks and four strikeouts.

"He got into trouble there in the eighth and it didn't work out, but he really did throw the ball well tonight," Head Coach Jason Beverlin commented on Garner.

McCarty went 2-for-3 to lead the Wildcats, with three other Wildcats notching hits, while Modena and Lee logged RBI.

The Wildcats return to action on Wednesday back at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, as the Jacksonville Dolphins (5-11) come to town on a two-game skid after dropping 2-of-3 to UCF last weekend.

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-B-CUathletics.com-