KENNESAW, Ga. – Despite battling throughout in a back-and-forth affair, Jacksonville University baseball dropped the rubber match to Kennesaw State 12-7 on Sunday at Stillwell Stadium.
 
The Dolphins (20-17, 7-11) could not hold leads of 1-0, 4-3 and 5-3 on a day they left 10 men on base.
 
JU scored first for the second straight game. Cam Ridley led off the third with a single, took second on a fielder's choice groundout and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on Chase Malloy's RBI double to left. Malloy was then caught stealing at third and after a walk and error put two more on, a groundout ended the threat with JU leading 1-0.
 
The Owls immediately answered in the bottom half, with a pair of singles to lead off the inning, before an RBI groundout, double and single plating three runs to make it 3-1 KSU after three.
 
The Dolphins came right back in the fourth. Tommy Joseph and Jackson Grabsky strung together successive one-out singles and Ridley drew a walk to lead the bases. TJ Curd hit a ball up the middle off of the pitcher's leg that caromed into left field, driving in two, and after the left fielder threw to first to try and get Curd after his big turn, Ridley sprinted home from third, sliding in headfirst under the high throw to give JU the lead again, 4-3. Malloy singled to put two on with one-out, but a double play ended the inning.
 
After holding KSU scoreless in the bottom half when Christian Graham stranded the bases loaded, the Dolphins struck again in the fifth. Blake DeLamielleure singled with one out, and took second on a wild pitch. Trace Burchard then sent a single into left to plate DeLamielleure and extend the lead to 5-3. Joseph singled again and JU had two one with one out, but after a pitching change, a strikeout and foul out ended the threat.
 
The game changed in the bottom of the fifth. After a leadoff single, Graham got a strikeout and a flyout. The next batter then drilled a double just past the reach of the outstretched glove of Ridley who dove in the gap trying to catch it. That scored one to cut it to 5-4, and the following batter hit a ground ball to first that led to an error and another run to tie the game at five. After a walk put two one with two outs, JU made a pitching change. A hit batsman loaded the bases and a single to center scored two more runs. Ridley threw to third and caught the runner trying to go first to third to end the inning, keeping it 7-5 KSU.
 
KSU tacked on two more in the sixth, when a pinch-hit, leadoff double was followed by an RBI single. After another single put runners at the corners, and JU brought in Leighton Alley. After a walk, he induced a groundball to first, which Curd fielded, stepped on the bag to get one out and threw home, but the runner scored before Burchard could apply the tag. A strikeout and another groundout to first left two men on, but the Owls led 9-5.
 
JU chipped away in the seventh and eighth. Jake Berg pinch-hit and was hit by a pitch, and with two outs, Joseph and Grabsky hit two straight singles. A wild pitch moved the runners up and Ridley laced a single to left, scoring Joseph, but runners were left at the corner. In the eighth, Malloy led off with a single to left, but was doubled off first when Jesus Pacheco lined out to third on a hit-and-run attempt. Christian Coipel followed that with a solo homer to right to make it 9-7.
 
KSU pulled away for good with a three-run bottom of the eighth. A leadoff single and one-out walk setup a sacrifice fly, where the runner scored from second. Then a single was followed by a two-run triple to make it 12-7.
 
ON DECK
 
Jacksonville is off until next weekend due to finals. The Dolphins host FGCU for a three-game set starting Friday night at 7 p.m.
 
THREE STRIKES
 

• Chase Malloy reached base all five times he came to the plate, collecting three singles and a double. It was his first career four-hit game and his team-high 11th multi-hit game of the season
• Christian Coipel hit his 10th home run of the season, and becomes the first Dolphin to reach the double-digit home run mark since Angel Camacho hit 10 in 2019
• JU recorded a stolen base for the 13th consecutive game, and for the 10th time in that stretch, registered multiple, with two today