JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Redshirt-senior pitcher Tyler Santana keeps getting stronger as the season goes on. His latest performance will be tough to top, as the righthander threw his first career complete game to lead Jacksonville University baseball to a 2-1 win over UCF on Friday night at John Sessions Stadium.
 
RBIs from Duncan Hunter and Blake Delamielleure were just enough for the Dolphins (5-10) to take the first game of the series.
 
"He [Santana] did a great job of pounding the zone, competing with three pitches the entire time and he earned that opportunity," said Head Coach Chris Hayes. "He got stronger and stronger and stronger as the game went.
 
"It was a big time performance on Friday night."
 
JU threatened early, stringing together back-to-back singles to start the first, but were unable to drive in a run. That started a streak of 12 consecutive Dolphins retired in a row by Knights' pitching.
 
Santana (3-2) was just as good on the other side, stranding one-out base hits in the first and the second, before UCF moved a runner into scoring position for the first time in the third. After two singles to start the inning, the Miami Springs, Fla. native induced a flyout and a groundout, sandwiching a strikeout to end the threat.
 
UCF broke through in the fifth. A one-out Baltimore chop was followed by a seeing-eye single to the right side to put two on with one out. An error in right loaded the bases and a grounder to short was bobbled, eliminating the chance for an inning-ending double play and allowing the first run of the night to cross. Santana buckled down and struck out the next man looking, and that was all UCF would manage off him all night.
 
JU immediately answered in the bottom of the fifth. Duncan Hunter led off with a triple to right, and scored to tie it at one on Blake Delamielleure's high-hopping single over the first baseman's head.
 
The Dolphins then took the lead for good in the sixth. Cory Heffron legged out a leadoff single and advanced to second on Trace Burchard's base hit to left. He took third on Christian Coipel's deep flyout to right and scored when Hunter flared the first pitch he saw to right field.  
 
Santana continued to strengthen later in the outing. He responded to the run given up in the fifth with a nine-pitch sixth, stranded a runner at first in the seventh and sat down every batter he faced in order the last two innings, ending the night emphatically with his 10th strikeout of the game.
 
ON DECK
 
Jacksonville goes for the series win Saturday afternoon at John Sessions Stadium. Mike Cassala (1-2) takes the mound for the Dolphins at 2 p.m.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

THREE STRIKES
 

• Tyler Santana set a career-high in innings pitched and matched a career-best in strikeouts with 10
• It was the first complete game for a Jacksonville pitcher since Trent Palmer went the distance vs. Illinois State on March 6, 2020
• JU snapped a four-game losing streak vs. the Knights