JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville University baseball captured an 11-7 win over the Liberty Flames in the series finale on Sunday.
 
The Dolphins (15-11, 3-6) scored four runs in the eighth inning to break the tie and secure its first ASUN Conference series win of the year and fifth overall.
 
Christian Graham and the Liberty starter shared scoreless frames through two innings, but the Flames got their offense rolling in the top of third. A leadoff walk was followed by a deep fly ball to left field to move the runner advances to second with one out. A ground ball to shortstop advanced the runner to third, then a blooping RBI base hit gave Liberty a 1-0 lead. 
 
Jacksonville immediately responded as Eli Flowers led off the Dolphin half of the third with a base knock to center field. On an attempted stolen base, a throwing error by the catcher allowed Flowers to take third, then a second throwing error by the centerfielder scored Flowers to tie the game, 1-1.
 
A one-out double for Liberty in the top of fourth had the Flames in business. That extra-base hit was followed by back-to-back walks. A ground ball to shortstop that could have gotten Jacksonville out of the inning was, instead, thrown into right field on a fielder's choice E6 to give Liberty a 3-1 lead. A walk to load the bases ended Graham's day. Blake Barquin entered and got a ground ball on a fielder's choice that scored a third run of the inning, making it 4-1.
 
Flowers led of the home half of the fifth inning with a base hit to left field and was driven in by Cam Ridley on an RBI double down the left field line to draw Jacksonville within two runs, 4-2. Chase Malloy bunted for a single, advancing Ridley to third base, still with nobody out. A bloop fly ball by Jonah Diaz fell in between three Flames in shallow left field to drive in a run cutting the lead to 4-3. Then, Christian Coipel hit an RBI base knock into right field to tie the game. Blake DeLamielleure delivered with another base hit up the middle to give Jacksonville a 5-4 lead, the third consecutive RBI hit by Jacksonville. After Trace Burchard walked to load the bases with nobody out, a wild pitch to Tommy Joseph scored Coipel making in 6-4. After Joseph walked, Jesus Pacheco grounded on a fielder's choice (5-4) and pick up an RBI, extending the Dolphin lead 7-4. The Flames got out of the inning on a double play, 8-1-5.
 
A lead off hit-by-pitch got Liberty aboard, then a one-out double plated another run to cut the Dolphin lead to 6-4. The highlight of the inning came from Flowers on an amazing Superman play in left field to save another RBI double in maybe the play of year for Jacksonville. 
 
Liberty got a man aboard via a throwing error and A base hit put runners on the corner with nobody out, setting up a sacrifice bunt that scored a run to cut the Jacksonville lead to 7-6. Another base knock into left field put runners at the corners with only one out. A ground out to third base on a fielder's choice tied the game at seven apiece.
 
In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Dolphins exploded to break the tie. Pacheco led off with a single to right field. A bunt to the first base side for a hit by Flowers got two runners on with nobody out for Ridley. He dropped down a bunt to the third base side and reached safely without a throw to occupy each base for the top of the order. Malloy stepped in and delivered a hard-hit ground ball to the third baseman that got through and cleared the bases. Malloy advanced to third on a fly out to center field, then a bloop double by Coipel scored Malloy to extend the lead to 11-7. 
 
The Flames led off the ninth with back-to-back walks, but Tyler Vogel sttled back down and the next two batters flew out. A strikeout ended the game and delivered the series win.
 
ON DECK
 
The Dolphins travel to Tallahassee to take on the #5 Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

THREE STRIKES

·      Elias Flowers went 3-4 and finished the weekend 5-6, with a stolen base and three runs scored
·      Tyler Vogel earned his second win of the year in relief, in the second-longest outing of his JU career
·      Chase Malloy and Flowers both had three-hits, with Christian Coipel, Blake DeLamielleure and Cam Ridley adding multi-hit games themselves