TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Christian Coipel smashed three home runs and drove in six to lead Jacksonville University baseball to an 8-7 upset of #17/#18 Florida State on Tuesday night at Dick Howser Stadium.
The Dolphins (7-18) took an early lead, but then came from behind twice on the strength of the redshirt-junior from Miami's career night at the plate.
"Our guys kept fighting the whole game," said Head Coach
Chris Hayes. "Complete team win for our guys tonight."
JU took an early lead in the first.
Jesus Pacheco, hitting in the two-hole for the first time in his career, walked with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Dakota Julylia then walked before they both moved up 90 feet on a passed ball. Coipel hit a ball hard to first that led to an error, but drove in the first run of the game, and
Jackson Grabsky followed that up with an RBI fielder's choice to score Julylia and make it 2-0 before
Tyler Naumann even toed the rubber.
The Jacksonville starter gave one back on an RBI single in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1, but stranded two on a strikeout to end the inning.
JU then made it 3-1 in the second. Another error allowed
Jake Berg to reach with one out, and
Blake DeLamielleure's double to left center advanced him to third.
Ruben Someillan lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Berg and get the run back.
After a 1-2-3 inning for Naumann in the second, he ran into trouble in the third. A succession of a single, double and walk loaded the bases with one out and set up a grand slam to give the Seminoles a 5-3 lead after three.
JU battled back, getting within one, 5-4 in the fifth, on Coipel's first homer of the night, a solo shot off of the circus tent beyond the right field fence.
The Dolphins recaptured the lead in the seventh, when Pacheco led off with a single and Coipel ripped his second long ball of the night to give JU a 6-5 lead.
On the other side of things,
Adrian Garrastazu entered for Naumann to start the fourth, and allowed only one hit in 3.1 innings of relief, before exiting the game in the bottom of the seventh. Florida State tied the game on a sacrifice fly to deep right, but
Sam Brunnig got a big strikeout to end the inning and strand two on.
The Seminoles snuck across another run in the eighth to take the lead for the second time, when Grabsky committed an error trying to get the final out of the inning at first after a great diving stop in foul territory at third.
Coipel was ready for his moment again in the ninth. Someillan walked to start the frame, but was cut down at second on Pacheco's sacrifice bunt attempt. After a wild pitch allowed Pacheco to move into scoring position, Coipel stepped up with two-outs and calmly parked his third long-ball of the night to give the Dolphins the lead for good.
Jagger McCoy (1-2), worked two innings of relief, including stranding the tying run on in the ninth, to earn the win.
ON DECK
Jacksonville heads south for a three-game series against FGCU. The third ASUN Conference series of the year starts on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Swanson Stadium.
THREE STRIKES
- The win was Jacksonville's 11th over a ranked opponent in Head Coach Chris Hayes' four-plus season at the helm. It was also the second in a row over Florida State
- Coipel's three home runs are the most in recorded history by a JU player in one game, going back to 2001, when reliable records were first kept. His six RBI are tied for the second most in program history in a single game. The last to do it was Angel Camacho on April 14, 2018 vs. FGCU
- Ruben Someillan extended his on-base streak to 25 games, having reached safely in every game JU has played this year
