JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University baseball prevailed 8-7 in a wild game over USF on Tuesday night at John Sessions Stadium.
 
In a game that featured 21 combined hits, five errors and 14 pitchers, the Dolphins (10-6) scored the winning run on a balk to capture a sixth straight victory.
 
"We knew it was going to be a tough one with the way that the pitching was set up, fighting some injuries on the pitching staff," said Head Coach Chris Hayes. "Once we got to the middle of the game we thought things would normalize a little bit.
 
"It was good to see guys take advantage of good pitches to hit [on the offensive end]."

The runs came early and often for both teams. JU pushed across four in the bottom of the first, when Dakota Julyia reached on a fielder's choice, followed by Angel Camacho wearing a pitch, Scott Dubrule walking and Jacob Southern clearing the bases with a scalding single to right field that was misplayed for an error. Paul Castillo made it 4-0 with a single that plated Southern.
 
USF answered in the second when the first three men reached and a couple of JU errors allowed them to score to cut it to 4-3.
 
JU responded with two more in the bottom half of the second. Julylia roped a triple down the right field line, and after Dubrule was hit by a pitch and Southern walked, Castillo singled up the middle and a throwing error brought in the second to extend the lead back to three, 6-3.
 
Again, USF had an answer in the third, following up a one-out double with a single and a walk to load the bases before a two-out, two-RBI single and an error scored three, tying it at six.
 
The Bulls managed to take the lead for the first and only time all night in the fifth. A leadoff double and then a two-out walk and hit batsman loaded the bases, when the ball was slapped a short way down the third base line and everyone was safe.
 
The one-run lead didn't last a full inning, as Duncan Hunter singled to lead off the bottom of the fifth, followed by Cory Garrastazu's bunt single. Three batters later, Julylia delivered for the Dolphins again, knocking in Hunter with his single to right to tie it at seven.
 
"I think it helped our pitching staff settle down," said Julylia about the offense coming through repeatedly. "They picked us up a bunch this year and tonight was our turn."

The pitching settled down for JU in the later innings, as the quartet of Kevin Faulkner, Austin Temple (1-0), Jagger McCoy and Zach Bryant (Sv: 1) combined to hold USF scoreless over the last 4.1 innings.
 
JU took the lead for good in a seventh inning in which the Dolphins did not manage a hit. Four consecutive walks, even with a runner caught stealing, set up the game-winning, bases loaded balk, when Julylia came in to score for the third time in the game.
 
Jacksonville returns to action tomorrow at 5 p.m. vs. FAMU at John Sessions Stadium.