JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville University baseball dropped a marathon series finale 5-4 to Eastern Kentucky in 14 innings on Saturday at John Sessions Stadium.
 
The Dolphins (22-11, 7-5) rallied to tie it in the eighth and 11th innings, but left 16 runners on base throughout the day and were unable to secure the sweep.
 
Eastern Kentucky hit a leadoff single and followed with a double in the 14th. An intentional walk loaded the bases with nobody out. The Colonels hit a deep fly ball to right field to score the go ahead run.
 
JU got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth. Josh Steidl started the inning off with a base hit into centerfield. Clayton Hodges was next to grab a bat and produced another hit to put Dolphin runners on first and second with nobody out. Colin Wetterau then moved the runners up 90 feet to second and third on a sacrifice bunt. Following a pop out in foul territory to the first baseman, Elias Flowers drew a walk to load the bases for the top of the order in Chase Malloy. Malloy delivered with a two-RBI base hit into center giving Jacksonville a 2-0 lead.
 
Christian Graham worked around baserunners in each of the first five innings, but Eastern Kentucky broke through in the sixth. The Colonels led off the inning with back-to-back hits, a single and a double, to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out. On a sacrifice fly to center field, EKU cut the lead in half to 2-1 and they weren't done. Another double plated the second run of the inning to tie the game at two apiece. Graham then settled down and got out of the inning, but Eastern Kentucky had climbed back into the game.
 
In the top of the eighth, EKU took the lead on a solo homerun to right field to make it 3-2. JU didn't go away quietly as in the bottom of the eighth, Chandler Howard grabbed a bat as a pinch-hitter and delivered a leadoff double for Jacksonville. On a ground out, the runner moved up to third base. With the tying run just 90 feet away at third, Chase Malloy hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field to tie the game again.
 
Scout Updike took the ball to begin extras and pitched a very effective 4.1 innings. In the top of the eleventh, EKU got a one-out base hit to put the go-ahead-run on base. After a walk moved the runner into scoring position, a groundout for the second out was recorded (4-3). However, the Dolphins couldn't quite make it out of the inning unscathed as a single into left field scored the run. A throw home by Blake Edmonds got the second runner trying to score for the third out of the inning. However, the Colonels took the lead 4-3 and forced Jacksonville to respond.
 
Flowers led off the bottom of the 13th with a walk and Jacksonville put the tying run on base. After Chase Malloy grounded out to third, moving Flowers up to second, Justin Nadeau delivered for Jacksonville with a base hit into center that scored Flowers from second base to tie the game, 4-4. 
 
Back and forth we went as both pitching staffs doing all they could to preserve the tie through thirteen innings. Updike stranded the bases loaded with a pair of strikeouts in the 12th, but JU also left them loaded in the bottom half. The Dolphins had one more chance with a winning run at second in the 13th, but could not drive him in.
 
COACH'S COMMENTS

 

ON DECK
 
Jacksonville stays at home on Tuesday, welcoming Georgia Southern to John Sessions Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
 
THREE STRIKES
 
1.     Chase Malloy had a three hit day and recorded three RBI's.
2.     The Jacksonville pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts.
3.     It was the first one-run loss for JU this season (now 6-1)