Box Score JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Austin Hays went 3-5 and the Jacksonville bullpen went 6.1 scoreless innings in a 4-1 triumph over Charleston Southern Tuesday at Sessions Stadium.
"It wasn't a clean game, but our pitching did a nice job of each guy doing their part," said Head Coach Tim Montez. "A big positive was extending Casey Kulina's pitch count. We did enough offensively against a pretty good team that has played a tough schedule."
CSU (10-11) struck first with a Sly Edwards RBI single through the left side in the third off Kulina, who made his second pre-determined start of the season. Kulina went 2.2 innings and allowed four hits in addition to the run, and walked two batters while fanning three.
Jacksonville (14-6) totaled nine hits but scored in only two innings. A pair of runs in the fifth would prove to be enough with a five Dolphin pitchers combining to shutout the Buccaneers in relief. Hays drove home the first run on a single that scored Michael Babb. Babb led off the inning with a single and stole second base. Later in the inning with the bags full, Franco Guardascione reached on a catcher's interference and Hays scored.
The Dolphins added two more runs in the eighth thanks to a Nathan Koslowski sacrifice bunt that scored Dakota Julylia and a two-out error by CSU's Ryan Maksim that allowed Julylia to cross home.
Mike Schappell (2-1) got the win with three strikeouts and no walks in 2.1 hitless innings of relief.
Ryan Granda, Shane Wise, Kyle Arjona, and Mike Cassala each pitched one inning and Cassala was credited with his fifth save.
"It's always nice to come out on the positive side, especially when we have to get on the bus tomorrow morning to play a nationally-ranked East Carolina club," said Montez.
The Dolphins travel to #19 East Carolina for a three-game series that begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Following the series with ECU, Jacksonville returns home to host UCF on Tuesday, Mar.29 for its Vs. Cancer game. To find out more information on involvement and donations, click the link: http://team.vs-cancer.org/JacksonvilleBaseball.
