GAINESVILLE, Fla. – An elimination game on Sunday afternoon turned south early for Jacksonville University baseball, before a late rally was stifled by the weather taking a turn for the worse.
JU erased a large portion of a 12 run deficit before a lightning delay in the seventh inning turned into a severe weather delay that lasted over five hours, before JU (40-21) eventually fell to Florida Atlantic 12-7 on day three of the Gainesville Regional.
"Tough way to go out, you never want to go out on the losing side, but ultimately there is only one team in the country who doesn't finish the year tasting defeat," said Head Coach Chris Hayes. "Being down the way we were, extremely proud of the way the guys continued to battle and fight their way back into this thing."
FAU scored 11 runs in yesterday's elimination win over #4 seed Columbia, and the offense carried over into today's game. The Owls scored five runs in the first inning, including an inside the park two-run home run and a traditional three-run jack, giving FAU 13 first inning runs scored this weekend.
They were not done there, plating five more in the second. All nine in the order came to the plate and the Owls took advantage of an error, a double and a third homer of the afternoon to go up 10-0 before fans had finished applying sunscreen on the scorching Sunday in Gainesville.
FAU threatened in the third, loading the bases before Duncan Hunter robbed a second home run of the weekend in right field for JU to end the inning, but the Owls tacked on two more in the fourth with four successive singles to lead off the inning and extend the lead to 12-0.
But JU has battled on season, and with its season on the line that was no different. First, Greg Shannahan provided some stability on the mound. After the Dolphins went through four different pitchers after starter Tyler Santana was relieved after just one inning, the redshirt-junior from Episcopal School of Jacksonville entered in the fifth, and after walking the leadoff man, registered the first strikeout of the day by a Dolphin pitcher before inducing an inning ending twin killer. He fanned two more in a second scoreless inning in the sixth while the Jacksonville offense found its way.
FAU's starter walked the first three batters of the sixth and surrendered a two-RBI single to Scott Dubrule before he was lifted, but Angel Camacho greeted the Owl reliever with another run scoring hit. Two batters later, Evan Fernandez lifted a sacrifice fly to center and JU scored four to cut the deficit to eight.
Jacob Southern opened the seventh with a double to left, and after Hunter walked, Zack Smith scorched a single to right off the glove of the first baseman to score Southern. Chris Lehane was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Dubrule flew out to shallow center with the outfield playing in. Trying to catch Smith a second for a double play, the throw was rushed in and glanced off the glove of the second baseman, allowing Hunter to score from third. Camacho, the ASUN's RBI leader, did not drive in a run all weekend until the sixth, crushed a double over the centerfielder's head to score another and make it 12-7.
A weather delay paused play with runners on the second and third and two outs. After the 5:35 rain delay, JU went to a pinch hitter, and Chris Gau worked the count full, including just missing a hit down the right field line, before striking out to end the inning.
The Dolphins threatened one final time in the ninth, when Camacho picked up a single for his third hit of the day and Sam Armstrong crushed a ground rule double to right with two outs, but that was all they could muster.
JU wrapped the season with 40 wins for the first time since 2006 and made a regional for the first time since 2011.
