JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University baseball used strong pitching to again take #35 West Virginia down to the wire, but ultimately fell 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at John Sessions Stadium.
 
The Dolphins (1-2) were held to just three hits, and dropped the series to the Mountaineers.
 
The work on the mound continued to be a strength for JU all weekend, with Austin Temple (0-1) starting on Sunday and carrying over some of the momentum from the end of last season. He worked around a leadoff double and a walk in the first to hold WVU scoreless through the first three innings. He scattered six hits and allowed only two runs while striking out seven in his first action of the 2020 season.
 
Jacksonville struck first, plating a run in the second. Jacob Southern drew a one-out walk and stole second, before Langston Provitt delivered a two-out RBI single to center to give the Dolphins a 1-0 lead.
 
Back-to-back singles for West Virginia to start the fourth put runners at the corners with no one out, but Temple induced a ground ball to short that Dakota Julylia turned into a double play after stepping on second and firing to first in time. A run scored on the play, but Temple kept WVU off the board the rest of the frame.
 
The Mountaineers took the lead for good in the sixth, riding three straight singles into a run, before Temple again clamped down, striking out two and getting an infield fly pop-up to get out of the jam.
 
Jacksonville's best threat late came in the seventh, when pinch-hitter Paul Castillo was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He was replaced by pinch runner Elias Flowers, who advanced to second on an attempted hit-and-run, but was stranded there.

 
ON DECK
 
Jacksonville concludes its four-game homestand to start the season on Tuesday, welcoming the Florida Gators to John Sessions Stadium for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
 
HODGES MAZDA PLAYER OF THE GAME
 
Austin Temple kept West Virginia at bay for much of the day in his first start of the season, finishing with six innings pitched, six hits allowed, and only two runs while striking out seven, a season-high for a Dolphin pitcher this year and a career-high for Temple.
 
NOTABLES
 

• While Jacksonville was unable to win the series, it did secure its first win vs. a ranked opponent this season on Saturday. That is the ninth win vs. a ranked team under Head Coach Chris Hayes.
• The strikeout counter continues to tick upward for the Dolphin pitching staff. With nine more K's today, the three-game total for the weekend was 29.
• The "firsts" continued on Sunday, with OF Langston Provitt registering his first RBI as a Dolphin and OF Elias Flowers seeing his first action as a pinch runner and then defensive replacement in right field. RHP Avery Love logged his first career strikeout to end the seventh.