JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The day after a late inning rally fell short, Jacksonville University baseball came from behind to win 4-3 over #35 West Virginia on Saturday at John Sessions Stadium.
 
Christian Coipel hit a two-run home run to right field in the eighth to put the Dolphins (1-1) ahead for the first time in the series. Chris Mauloni sat down the Mountaineers in order in the ninth to secure the first win of the season for JU and collect his first save of the season.
 
The game started similarly to Friday night, with the pitching setting the tone early. Jacksonville starter Tyler Santana allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases in the first, but managed to prevent a run from scoring. West Virginia led off the second with a triple that came in to score on an opposite field single, but Santana struck out the side to limit the damage to one.
 
The JU bats were much livelier in the warm, Saturday sun than the night before, as the Dolphins picked up hits in three of the first four innings. The fourth started with a walk to Coipel, who went to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Paul Castillo. Stephen Moffat then dropped down a bunt and Coipel slid home under the tag to tie the game at one.
 
Santana retired seven in a row through the middle innings, before a two-out triple in the sixth ended his day. He finished the afternoon allowing two runs while scattering seven hits and fanning six. AJ Jones relieved Santana, and worked into the eighth until a couple of tough luck plays, ending with him taking a liner off the shin that caromed into right and drove in another WVU run to extend the advantage to 3-1. He left the game for precautionary reasons, and Jagger McCoy (1-0) got the final out of the inning on a strikeout.
 
The rally came in the eighth. Scott Dubrule drew a one-out walk, and came home to score on Anthony George's third double of the weekend to bring JU within one, 3-2. West Virginia made a pitching change and that set the table for Coipel's heroics. He launched an 0-1 pitch halfway up the light pole in right to bring the crowd to its feet.

 

ON DECK
 
Tomorrow's rubber match vs. West Virginia has been moved up one hour to a noon start, due to concerns about weather later in the day. RHP Austin Temple takes the ball for Jacksonville, as the Dolphins look to open the season with a series win over WVU for the second time in the last three seasons.
 
HODGES MAZDA PLAYER OF THE GAME
 
Redshirt-junior 1B Christian Coipel went 1-3, drew a walk, scored a run and hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth.

 

NOTABLES
 

• Redshirt-senior C Anthony George, a UCF transfer, continues to make an impact in his first few games as a Dolphin. He went 2-4 for a second straight game and already has three doubles this weekend
• AJ Jones made the first relief appearance of his JU career
• Stephen Moffatt's squeeze bunt in the fourth was his first JU RBI
• Jacksonville pitching registered eight more strikeouts today, bringing the season total to 20 after just two games