GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University baseball battled to the end, but ultimately came up just short in the rubber match vs. #5/#6 Florida on Sunday, losing 5-2.
 
The Dolphins (4-10) held the potent Gator attack in check much of the day, but could not get the clutch hit with runners in scoring position to take the lead in the middle innings.
 
"We came ready to play today and it showed, all the way to that last out," said Head Coach Chris Hayes.
 
Florida drew first blood off of Mason Adams (1-1), stringing together a double and two straight singles to start the game, the last one driving in a run after a previous run scored on a throwing error. Adams settled in after that, stranding men on all afternoon. After a leadoff double in the second, he got all three men, and hitting the first man he faced in the third, again pitched his way out of it, with a mix of groundball and flyball outs.
 
JU tied the game at two in the third. Jesus Pacheco singled with one out, and Ruben Someillan followed that up with a single of his own. A wild pitch moved them both into scoring position before Cory Heffron was hit by a pitch to load them up. The play was challenged by Florida, but confirmed, and after the delay, Dakota Julylia poked the first pitch he saw into right field to plate a run. Duncan Hunter followed that up with a sacrifice fly to right, but the Gators stranded two men in scoring position to end the inning.
 
The Dolphin defense rose to the occasion time and time again. Florida hit a leadoff single in the fourth, but the runner was immediately erased on a 4-6-3 double play. Christian Coipel made a great diving stop at first to take away a base hit and the JU outfielders covered extensive ground to take away extra bases all afternoon.
 
Rightfielder Duncan Hunter nearly made the play of the game in the fifth. A leadoff double advanced to third on a flyout to center, and with one out, Hunter caught a flyball to right. The runner at third tagged up and his throw was right on the money to catcher Cory Heffron, beating the runner by multiple steps. Heffron applied the tag, but the umpire ruled the runner safe. After another lengthy review, the men in blue upheld the call, saying the runner's fingers got to the plate just ahead of the tag.
 
That gave Florida a lead it would not relinquish, and they added to it one batter later with a solo home run to make it 4-2.
 
Jacksonville had men in scoring position in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but were not able to score again after the initial two spot in the third.
 
Florida tacked on one more in the eighth with another solo home run, and JU led off the ninth with a single to center by Trace Burchard, but a hard line drive to second by Jackson Grabsky was caught, and developed into a double play to end the Dolphins' chances at a comeback.
 
ON DECK
 
Jacksonville stays on the road, traveling to College of Charleston on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. midweek game.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

THREE STRIKES
 

• There were three coach's challenges today, and four for the weekend. None of the calls on the field were overturned
• Dakota Julylia had his best offensive weekend at the plate. He finished 5-9, with two RBI and two walks
• Julylia and Ruben Someillan both had multi-hit games