JACKSONVILLE, Fla., – Hosting one of the most prolific offenses in the nation, the Jacksonville University baseball team clobbered 13 runs off 12 hits, outslugging No. 6 UCF (20-6) on Tuesday evening at John Sessions Stadium, 13-9. It's the Dolphins (12-11) second win over a top-15 ranked opponent in 2015 after defeating No. 12 Florida State earlier this season.  

The anticipated slugfest proved to be just that at Sessions Stadium with the Dolphins winning their third-straight game behind five extra-base hits including home runs from Connor Marabell (2-for-4) and Austin Hays (3-for-5). 

Both second on the season, Marabell's would come in the third after Angelo Amendolare (3-for-4) drove in the first run for the Dolphins an at-bat prior, Marabell would send a no-doubter over the leftfield wall—a 3-run blast for the Jacksonville-natives' 27th RBI of the year.

UCF would strike back in the sixth-inning plating four runs off three hits to tie the game at 5-5 behind two, 2-run homeruns from Matt Diorio and James Vasquez.

Momentum seemed to have shifted to the visiting Knights, but all that changed when Hays came to the dish, sending the 2-0 pitch and go-ahead blast over the left field wall.

Hays on the defeat of UCF, "We are definitely trying to be at our best come our conference schedule," said Hays. "But it definitely boosts our confidence knowing we can play with a school like this and hit with a team like this--it just shows what we can do when we all have the right approach at the plate and pick each other up."

The Dolphin lineup would play off the blast by Hays rattling the UCF pitchers to throw three-walks to Parker Perez (1-for-3), Casey Cribb (0-for-4) and Samuel Armstong (1-for-2). Subsequent wild pitches scored Perez and Cribb.

In the seventh, Marabell would continue his evening with a hard single to centerfield to lead off and an eventual Perez up to bat would plate two off a single into leftfield. Armstrong up with Perez on third, would drive his first double of his career into left field.

After a productive start from Justin Russell limiting the Knights scoreless through two, Spencer Stockton (2-1) gets the win and would come in for relief duty in the sixth and had another stellar performance against the nation's top hitting team, slinging three shutout innings of one hit ball, adding three strikeouts. 

"My thing was being confident and more aggressive," said Stockton. "You can't be timid against a team like that. Whoever is more aggressive is going to win and that's what it was tonight. I think that's what I've learned is that when you lose your aggression, things can change for you quickly."

Earlier this season, Stockton fanned five-of-six batters faced against FSU and against an even better, UCF lineup that also holds the nation's best batting average.

The Dolphin lineup would gather two runs in the eighth behind a 2-RBI double from Hays, his fifth on the year. Amendolare would continue his team-high hitting campaign with three in the game including a triple and two singles. 

Jacksonville looks to carry the win in a quick turnaround game against Georgia Southern tomorrow, first pitch slated for 6 p.m.

@JUBaseball | #FearTheFin