FORT MYERS, Fla. – Jacksonville University baseball dropped both games of a doubleheader to FGCU, 9-7 and 14-8 on Saturday at Swanson Stadium to conclude the weekend series.
 
The Dolphins (7-21, 0-9) battled in two back-and-forth contests, but ultimately could not hold leads late in either.
 
GAME 1
 
JU got on the board first in game one, using a Kyle Richardson three-run home run in the second to lead 3-0. FGCU battled back and took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the third, using an RBI single, wild pitch and three-run home run to take a 5-3 lead.
 
The Dolphins got one back in the fourth, when Mike Cassala doubled to lead off the inning, advanced to third on a fly-out and scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to one, 5-4.
 
A big inning in the sixth put JU back on top. Trace Burchard singled and went to second on Cassala's single. With two outs, Jesus Pacheco reached on a throwing error, which allowed one run to score. A walk loaded the bases, and Duncan Hunter roped a double to left field to plate two and give the Dolphins a 7-5 advantage.
 
FGCU got one more in the bottom half to come within one, and took the lead for good in the seventh. A leadoff single, followed by a two-out walk and a double to left that scored three, including the batter when it rolled past Burchard all the way out to the wall.
 
GAME TWO
 
Jacksonville got off to another strong start in game two, starting with a three-run first. Ruben Someillan reached to start things on an error, Pacheco doubled to right center to score Someillan and Hunter plated Pacheco on a single. With two outs, Blake DeLamielleure roped a double down the right field line to plate Hunter.
 
FGCU got two in the bottom half to cut the JU lead to 3-2, but the Dolphins took a big lead in the second. A leadoff infield single for Cassala, and a two-out infield single for Pacheco preceded a walk to Hunter to load them up, and Tyler McKenna hit a grand slam for his first career home run. That would unfortunately be the end of the scoring for the Dolphins on the day.
 
FGCU got one in the second, two in the third to cut the lead to 8-5, then took the lead with a four spot in the fifth and did not look back, adding another in the sixth and four more in the seventh.
 
ON DECK
 
Jacksonville travels to Charleston, S.C. for a date with The Citadel on Wednesday. It is the return trip for the season set that started back on March 3 in Jacksonville.
 
THREE STRIKES
 

• Ruben Someillan extended his streak of consecutive games reaching base to 28
• Tyler McKenna hit a grand slam in his first career home run. It was the first grand slam for a Dolphin hitter since Franco Guardascione cleared the bases on March 24, 2018 at Jacksonville State
• Trace Burchard became the second Dolphin to have a four-hit game this season, joining fellow freshman Jackson Grabsky