DeLand, Fla. – Sophomore pitcher Amanda Lindsey (Byhalia, Miss.) struck out eight batters en route to her first career no-hitter tonight as the Hatters (36-19, 10-7 Atlantic Sun) beat Jacksonville 1-0 in the second game of a doubleheader at Patricia Wilson Field.  Stetson also won the first game 5-0 behind a five-hitter from junior Erica Demers (Miami, Fla.)  Lindsey also set the Stetson single-season mark for strikeouts and won her 20^th game of the season in the nightcap.

Lindsey, who had tossed a one-hitter and three two-hitters this season, allowed only one ball out of the infield and three walks in her no-no, throwing 89 total pitches and striking out three of the last four hitters she faced.  Her fifth strikeout of the game, a swinging sitdown of second baseman Kelly McKeon leading off the top of the fifth inning, was her 224^th K of the 2008 season and put her past Kelli Lightner’s total from 2001.  Lindsey’s strikeout tally stands at 227 after the night’s work.

Tonight's doubleheader sweep clinched a berth for Stetson in the Atlantic Sun conference tournament May 8-10 at Patricia Wilson Field.  The Hatters moved past idle Kennesaw State into fifth place in the conference standings and are currently in position for the #2 seed behind Lipscomb in the tournament (Florida Gulf Coast, USC Upstate and North Florida, who occupy three of the top four places in the A-Sun standings, are ineligible while they re-classify to Division I.)

Stetson is now 6-0 all-time against Jacksonville at Patricia Wilson Field and has won six straight overall against the Dolphins.  With the win tonight, Lindsey became the eighth different pitcher in program history to win 20 games in a season and her 29^th career victory brought her within three of the all-time Stetson top 10.  Tonight’s 12^th shutout of the season put her in second place on the Stetson single-season list, just five shy of the record total of 17 set by Demers in 2006.

Despite Lindsey’s tremendous work in the circle, the Hatters had to work hard for their victory against Jacksonville pitcher Ashley Iveson.  She shut down Stetson into the sixth inning when senior catcher Blythe Golden (Marianna, Fla.) led off with a base hit to right field and was sacrificed to second by junior left fielder Amanda Bailey (Destin, Fla.).  One batter later, junior shortstop Leo Carreño (Miami, Fla.) delivered perhaps her biggest hit of the season, a sinking liner into left center field that found the grass and allowed freshman pinch runner Jesse Tucker (DeFuniak Springs, Fla.) to race home from second base with the go-ahead run.

Iveson allowed one run on six hits and two walks in six innings, striking out five.  Carreño and Golden had two hits apiece for the Hatters, who picked up their fifth shutout victory in their last six games.  Remarkably, Stetson has shut out its opponent in each of its last seven wins.

Demers also kept the Dolphins off the scoreboard entirely in the first game, scattering five hits and a walk while striking out six.  Five of the first six Stetson batters against JU starter Shannon Jensen reached base safely as the Hatters scored twice in the first inning.  Golden came up with an RBI single while the second run scored on a Dolphin error.

Stetson scored two more runs off Jacksonville errors in the second inning and got an RBI double from senior right fielder Amy Peters (Niceville, Fla.), her first career extra-base hit, to cap off the scoring at 5-0 in the third.  The Dolphins never advanced a runner to third base in the game and did not seriously threaten at any point.  Jacksonville fell to 21-35 overall and 5-15 in the Atlantic Sun; the losses crippled JU’s hopes of qualifying for the Atlantic Sun conference tournament to be held May 8-10 at Patricia Wilson Field.

The Hatters host North Florida (37-22, 11-7 A-Sun) in a doubleheader Sunday at 2 p.m.  Live stats, audio and video are all available on the official online home of Stetson Athletics, www.gohatters.com.  Jamie Bataille, the Voice of Hatter Fastpitch will call all the balls and strikes between Stetson and the Lady Ospreys.