JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A two-run first inning backed by outstanding pitching and defense that got better as the game went along propelled Jacksonville University baseball to a 2-1 win over Liberty on Thursday at the ASUN Baseball Championship.
 
The Dolphins (14-32) got RBIs from Dakota Julylia and Christian Coipel in the first, while Tyler Santana threw eight innings of three-hit, one-run baseball to fuel the Dolphins into the winner's bracket.
 
"We did enough," said Head Coach Chris Hayes. "Tyler competed every single pitch today."
 
JU was again able to strike early. A leadoff walk to Ruben Someillan came in to score when Julylia drove a triple over the center fielder's head. Coipel then poked a single to center to plate Julylia and give the Dolphins a 2-0 lead.
 
Liberty got one back in the bottom half of the first, after a two-out walk scored on a two-base error at second base.
 
Tyler Santana did a great job of keeping the Flames off-balance throughout the beginning of the game, sitting down eight in a row at one point. In the fourth, Liberty strung together consecutive one-out singles, but a strikeout ended the inning and left them in scoring position with a big strikeout to conclude a nine-pitch at-bat with two outs.
 
He ended both the sixth and the eighth with strikeouts, retiring the last two he faced in the game on backward Ks with the tying run at first base.
 
The Flames got two on in the bottom of the ninth, after a one-out walk and a single that bounced into right field. On an attempted squeeze play, the Flames did not get the bunt down, and the lead runner was thrown out trying to get back to third. A pop-up in foul territory was caught by Jackson Grabsky as he banged into the tarp down the left field line to end it.
 
ON DECK
 
The Dolphins face the winner of North Florida-Kennesaw State on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., with the winner advancing to the ASUN Championship Final.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

THREE STRIKES
 
-Ruben Someillan extended his on-base streak to all 46 games the Dolphins have played in this year
-Dakota Julylia's first-inning triple was his second of the year, and he took over the team high in that category
-It was the second-longest outing of Tyler Santana's season, after he went complete in a win over UCF earlier this year