JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University baseball took an early lead and held on to win 5-4 over North Florida on Saturday night at John Sessions Stadium.
 
The Dolphins (26-23, 12-14) took the series over the Ospreys, and have won three in a row overall all against the crosstown rivals.
 
Both teams threatened early, but came up empty. North Florida put two on the in the first, but Michael Darrell-Hicks held them scoreless. JU then put the first two men on before coming up empty. In the second, UNF loaded the bases on a pair of walks and an error, but Darrell-Hicks bore down, getting a strikeout to end the threat. In the bottom half, Jake Berg and Jackson Grabsky walked with one out, and Chase Malloy reached on an error to load the bases. Elias Flowers was hit by a pitch to drive in a run and give the Dolphins the early 1-0 lead.
 
UNF quickly responded with a solo home run in the top of the fourth to tie the game at one, before JU immediately retook the lead. Blake DeLamielleure led off the inning with a double to left center, advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt and scoring on Tommy Joseph's sac fly.
 
Darrell-Hicks settled in after, retiring seven in a row from the third to the fifth inning. After a two-out single in the fifth broke the streak, he stranded the man at second with his fifth strikeout of the night. He left after six, allowing just the one run on three hits, registering six strikeouts and retiring 11 of the last 12 Osprey batters he faced.
 
The Dolphins added to the advantage starting in the sixth. Berg collected a one-out single and Grabsky followed with a basehit of his own into right center. The ball was misplayed by the centerfielder and Berg kept running, scoring all the way from first to make it 3-1. In the seventh, Flowers led off with a single and Christian Coipel drove a home run over the rightfield wall to make it 5-1.
 
UNF put together a two-out rally in the eighth. Three straight singles plated a run, followed by a two-RBI double, with a play at the plate that went the way of the Ospreys. Tyler Vogel came in, and after two walks to load the bases, got a big strikeout looking to end the threat and keep JU ahead 5-4.
 
Vogel came back out for the ninth, and sat down the Ospreys in order in the ninth to lock down his ninth save of the year.
 
ON DECK
 
Jacksonville goes for the River City Rumble sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. It is also Senior Day, with five players being recognized before the game.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

THREE STRIKES
 

• Christian Coipel's home run was his 13th of the season
• Tyler Vogel's ninth save of the season moved him into sole possession of eighth for single season saves in JU history. He is two away from a tie for fifth
• JU stole its 80th, 81st and 82nd bases of the season