DeLAND, Fla. – Jacksonville churned out 13 hits and Michael Baumann earned his first win in Atlantic Sun play this season as Jacksonville topped Stetson, 8-3, Friday at Melching Field.
"It took us three innings to shake out the cobwebs of finals week," said Head Coach Tim Montez. "After we scored a couple of runs we got back into a rhythm and flow, and then 'Big' Mike Baumann kicked it into gear and gave us a much-needed quality start."
Jacksonville (26-14) moved to 8-2 in Atlantic Sun play and extended its winning streak to four games while Stetson (20-22) fell to 4-6 in the conference. The Dolphins also matched last season's win total, and remain in second place in the A-Sun.
Baumann (4-2) came off back-to-back no-decisions against Lipscomb and FGCU, and rebounded after a two-run first inning to throw seven solid innings. He allowed just three hits in total, and only one after the first inning. The right-handed pitcher allowed three runs, two walks, and fanned four batters.
Stetson scored twice in the first on a John Fussell double down the leftfield line and a Kirk Sidwell sacrifice fly. After that, Baumann settled in and allowed his final run in the fourth on an Austin Hale RBI single.
Jacksonville was quiet offensively to start the game, but turned the tables in the middle three innings when the Dolphins scored all eight of their runs.
Parker Perez posted four hits to lead Jacksonville and tie a career mark, and Guardascione's three RBI matched a career-best. Of the 13 Dolphin hits, all but Perez's ninth inning double were singles.
"Perez sets the table, and Franco (Guardascione) did a great job of keeping all the pitchers together tonight, and as an added bonus swung the bat huge for us," said Montez. "Maybe that kick starts him in swinging it down the home stretch, which would be good for everybody."
Angel Camacho began a two-out rally in the fourth with the first of Jacksonville's onslaught of singles. Connor Stephens reached on an error, and Guardascione and Nathan Koslowski combined for back-to-back RBI singles that tied the game at two.
Jacksonville took the lead for good with four runs in the fifth. The first four batters all reached, with singles by Perez, Austin Hays, and JJ Gould, who drove home a run. Sam Armstrong walked what would be the second of a career three base-on-balls. Stephens grounded out to second to score the leading run, and Guardscione brought home two with another single.
The Dolphins posted another crooked number an inning later. Dakota Julylia and Perez each singled to lead off the frame, then Austin Hays reached second on a fielding error by the Hatter second baseman, one of four Stetson errors on the evening, and Julylia raced across home on the play. Later in the inning, Camacho sent a sacrifice fly right that scored Perez and Jacksonville owned an 8-3 lead.
Mike Schappell got two outs in the eighth, and Ryan Granda walked one batter and induced a bases-loaded fly out to center that ended the Hatter threat. Granda pitched the ninth and struck out a trio of Hatter batters.
Brooks Wilson (4-6) was tagged with the loss. He worked five innings, gave up 10 hits, eight runs with four earned, two walks, and a strikeout.
"These guys did a nice job staying together with it being finals week," said Montez. "We need to come back tomorrow and compete from the very first pitch on."
The two teams meet for the second game of the series Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
