JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University baseball had the tying run on base in the ninth, ultimately fell 7-5 to FGCU on Saturday night at John Sessions Stadium.
The Dolphins (10-29, 3-14) rallied to tie the game in the sixth, before surrendering three runs in the ninth, evening the series at one vs. the Eagles.
"I saw a lot of fight," said Head Coach
Chris Hayes. "We had opportunities we took advantage of throughout the game and we left a few opportunities out there.
"I love the tenacity that these guys are showing all the way down to the last pitch."
FGCU drew first blood for the second straight game, hitting two home runs, one a two-run shot and the other solo, in the third inning off of
Mason Adams. He buckled down and did not allow another run until the sixth after that, another solo home run, while striking a career-high 12 batters in his six innings of work.
After the Eagles scored first, JU had a quick answer, getting one back in the bottom of the third.
Elias Flowers hit an infield single with one out, and
Ruben Someillan followed that up with a single to the right side.
Jesus Pacheco then flared a fly into right to score Flowers and make it 3-1.
JU got a little closer in the fifth with a two-out rally. Flowers again sparked it, ripping a single into right, before Someillan drove him in with a double to the left field corner.
After the solo shot in the sixth pushed the lead back to two, 4-2, Jacksonville put together its best inning in the bottom half.
Dakota Julylia singled to lead it off and
Christian Coipel banged a double off of the wall in straightway center before
Mike Cassala walked to load the bases.
Jackson Grabsky then poked a single to center that scored two and tied the game at four. The Dolphins were unable to manage another run, however, and it remained tied until the ninth.
Sam Brunnig shut down the Eagles over his first two inning of relief, but the first batter he faced in the ninth hit a home run to break the deadlock. A single followed by two consecutive run-scoring doubles extended the lead to three, 7-4.
Cory Heffron doubled with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Flowers was hit by a pitch and Someillan hit an infield single to load the bases. After Pacheco struck out, Julylia smoked a liner off the foot of the pitcher that caromed into foul territory and allowed a run to score. Coipel ran the count full, but struck out on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to end the game.
ON DECK
Jacksonville has one more chance to win the series, with the rubber match scheduled for noon on Sunday.
COACH'S COMMENTS
THREE STRIKES
- Mason Adams fanned 12 FGCU hitters, a season-high for a JU pitcher and tied for the fifth-most in a single game in program history, matching Michael Baumann's 12 Ks at West Virginia on March 24, 2017
- Ruben Someillan collected his team-best 14th multi-hit game of the year and fourth three-hit game, while extending his on-base streak to all 39 games JU has played this year
- The team celebrated Senior Day before the game, honoring 10 graduating seniors: Sam Brunnig, Stephen Moffatt, Cory Heffron, Jagger McCoy, Duncan Hunter, Adrian Garrastazu, Ruben Someillan, Tyler Santana, Dakota Julylia and Mike Cassala
