HAMMOND, La. – A late inning rally came up just short for Jacksonville University baseball, who fell 5-4 to Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
The Dolphins (1-6) scored three runs over the final four innings, but it wasn't enough, and the Lions captured the series on a sunny and windy afternoon in the Bayou State.
For the second straight game in the series and the third consecutive game overall, Jacksonville scored in the first inning, on the strength of a solo home run to right by
Scott Dubrule, his first career long ball.
Southeastern Louisiana answered back immediately, tying the game at one in the bottom half. Three straight singled started the frame, the third of which drove in the run.
Jacob Southern caught a runner sneaking too far off third in an attempted double steal play, and
Tyler Santana (0-1) struck out two to end the inning.
The Lions took the lead in the second. After a leadoff single, the runner stole second and advanced to third on Southern's throwing error trying to catch him. After a walk, SLU tried to squeeze the runner home with a bunt. The bunt was missed and Southern threw to first to try and get the runner who had taken a large secondary lead. In the process, the runner at third came home to score. Another single and walk later, the bases were loaded, and Santana hit a batter to score another, making it 3-1 after two innings.
Southeastern Louisiana extended the lead to three in the fifth. After Santana had settled down to retire seven straight, including the first batter of the inning, a single followed up by a double ended his afternoon. The first batter to face
Jagger McCoy hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1, before McCoy recorded a strikeout to end the frame.
The Dolphins started to claw back in the sixth. After missing an opportunity with a leadoff double by
Christian Coipel in the fourth when he was thrown out at home to end the inning, Dubrule led off the sixth with a two-bagger. He went to third on
Anthony George's flyout to right and scored on Coipel's RBI groundout to cut it to 4-2.
The Lions pushed the lead back to three in the seventh and went to third on a single, before scoring on a bunt single down the first base line.
JU started the eighth with another hit by Dubrule, his second straight three-hit day, and Coipel walked to move him to second.
Cory Heffron roped a double to left to score Dubrule, and pinch-runner
Kyle Richardson scored on a sacrifice fly by
Jacob Southern one batter later to bring the Dolphins within one, 5-4, but that was all that JU would manage.
ON DECK
Jacksonville looks to salvage the series with Southeastern Louisiana on Sunday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. RHP
Austin Temple takes the mound for JU, looking to build off of his solid start last Sunday vs. West Virginia.
HODGES MAZDA PLAYER OF THE GAME
2B
Scott Dubrule recorded a second straight three-hit game, and launched his first home run of his career. He finished 3-3 with a double to go with his homer, one RBI and three runs scored. He also drew a walk. He is now 6-7 in the series.
NOTABLES
- Five of the seven games that Jacksonville has played in this season have been decided by one run
- Dolphin pitching stranded nine Lions on base today
- Five of JU's nine hits were for extra-bases: doubles by Scott Dubrule, Jacob Southern, Christian Coipel and Cory Heffron and Dubrule's solo home run
- Tyler Santana matched his first start total with six strikeouts. He and McCoy combined for nine, and JU pitching now has 70 total through seven games
