JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A starting pitcher that does not make it out of the fourth. Three deficits of three runs. Countless instances of adversity on the road.
 
Yet, Jacksonville University baseball grinded out perhaps its toughest win of the season on Saturday afternoon at Harmon Stadium, winning 10-8 over North Florida to even the series.
 
"This one had it all, but it was awesome to see how our guys continued to compete," said Head Coach Chris Hayes. "Determination, execution, sheer will. These guys weren't going to let it happen today."

The Dolphins (20-11, 6-2) took the lead for the first time with a five run seventh and relied on strong backend pitching to earn the hard-fought win.
 
JU dug itself a hole early, wasting a two-on no-out situation in the top of the first, then surrendering three in the bottom half when the Ospreys took advantage of three hits and two walks off of Trent Palmer to start.
 
Cory Heffron led off the second with a solo home run to left, his second of the year to cut into the deficit, followed by a third inning in which Ruben Someillan singled to start the frame and went to second on a throwing. He moved down to third on Dakota Julylia's sacrifice bunt that was misplayed for an error and scored on Scott Dubrule's bunt single down the third base line to cut the UNF lead to one, 3-2.
 
After JU stranded a third runner in scoring position through the first three innings with a chance to tie it in the fourth, North Florida built the lead back out to three. A leadoff single, a fielder's choice and a walk put two on with one out, when back-to-back RBI singles made it 5-2 and ended Palmer's day early.
 
The Dolphins immediately answered again in the fifth, with three straight singles from Camacho, Dubrule and Heffron to lead the bases for Jacob Southern, who fouled off two pitches with two strikes before bouncing a single over the third baseman's head into left to score two. After an Osprey pitching change, Reagan Wright smacked a two-out single into center to tie it at five.
 
The lead was short lived, as the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth was clubbed over the leftfield wall to put UNF back in front. With a runner on first due to a hit by pitch, a two-out two-run homer concluded the inning and gave UNF another three-run advantage, 8-5.
 
After leaving another man in scoring position in the sixth, Jacksonville produced its biggest inning of the weekend in the seventh. Southern drew a leadoff walk and with one out Duncan Hunter shot a single through the right side. North Florida went to the pen again, and Wright drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases for Someillan, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center. Next up, Julylia worked the count full and poked the seventh pitch of the at bat down the first base line into right field for a two-run double to tie up again. Camacho then crushed his eighth home run of the year to left to put JU ahead 10-8 for good.
 
Nick Love (3-0) entered the game in the fifth right after the UNF home run to extend the lead and sat down seven of the first eight he faced.
 
"They were up by three when I got in, and the main thing was, don't let them take it away from us," said Love. "Keep putting zeroes on the board and hopefully our offense could put up some runs and that's just what they did."

A leadoff walk in the eighth was followed by a single down the third base line, and after a fielder's choice put runners at the corners with one out, Zach Bryant came in. He induced a pop up to first, walked a man to lead the bases and then picked up a strikeout to leave them loaded and preserve the JU lead.
 
He allowed a leadoff single in the ninth, but nothing more as he earned his seventh save of the season.
 
Jacksonville looks to capture the series tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.