JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University baseball took Stetson to the brink, but fell 3-2 in the Saturday finale at John Sessions Stadium.
 
The Dolphins (6-18, 0-6) stranded 13 Hatters on base defensively, but left five on themselves though the first five innings and surrendered a run in the eighth that proved to be the difference.
 
"This game was decided in the first three innings," said Head Coach Chris Hayes. "We had a couple of opportunities to drive runs in execution-type situations, and we just didn't get it done."
 
Stetson scored first for the third time in the series and in the top of the first for the second straight day. A leadoff walk and a single, followed by a one-out walk set the table for a bases loaded double to left center to make it 2-0 early. After another walk loaded the bases, a flyout stranded the bases loaded.
 
From there, Christian Graham settled in, going a career-best 4.2 innings in his second start this week for the Dolphins, matching his career-high five strikeouts.
 
Both teams took turns threatening without scoring. Stetson left additional men in scoring position in the second, third and fourth innings, while JU put runners at the corners in the second, before a strikeout and double play ended the threat. Again, they had runners at the corners in the third with less than two outs, but back-to-back strikeouts kept a run from scoring and in the fourth, a double play with two-on ended the frame scoreless.
 
Sam Brunnig took over on the mound in the fifth with a runner on, and stranded him there, before working out of a jam in the sixth. After a leadoff single, Blake DeLamielleure made a diving catch in right for the first out, and a groundball to second with the runner on the move allowed Jesus Pacheco to force out the lead runner for the second out. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases before the runner at third tried to score on a wild pitch and was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Dakota Julylia led off with a groundball to short that was thrown away to allow him to reach. Christian Coipel then cranked his team-best third home run of the year to tie the game at two.
 
In the eighth, Stetson's leadoff man walked. After a pitching change to bring in Jagger McCoy, a wild pitch moved the runner into scoring position and an error on a grounder to third put runners at the corners with no outs. A single to left scored what ended up being the winning run.
 
Jacksonville managed just one baserunner the rest of the way.
 
ON DECK
 
Jacksonville heads west on I-10 to face #18 Florida State on Tuesday. First pitch is at 6 p.m. at Dick Howser Stadium.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

THREE STRIKES
 

• Ruben Someillan extended his on-base streak to all 24 games JU has played this season, but Dakota Julylia's hit streak ended at 13
• Someillan had his team-best second three-hit game of the season
• Christian Coipel picked up his team-leading 13th and 14th RBI of the year on his eighth career home run in the sixth