JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville University baseball got back home and found its offensive groove again, winning 14-4 in eight innings over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night at John Sessions Stadium.
The Dolphins (26-18) won the run-ruled game on
Kris Armstrong's bases loaded triple, one of three total triples and six extra-base hits on the offensively-driven night.
The night got off to a good start, but it took starter
Aidan Kelley working through some traffic to get there. He walked two of the first three batters he faced, and a one-out, RBI single through short gave the Wildcats the early 1-0 advantage. After that, the freshman bore down and struck out the next two to strand a couple of men on and give his offense a chance to pick him, which it quickly did.
The bottom half started with a single by leadoff man
Chase Malloy, the first of a string of four consecutive singles, ending with an RBI base knock by
Justin Nadeau to tie the game at one. Blake DeLameilleure lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to put JU on top 2-0, a lead it never relinquished.
Colin Wetterau sprayed a single the opposite way to left to plate
Kris Armstrong, and
Tommy Joseph had a big hit, scoring two on the Dolphins' sixth base knock of the frame.
Josh Steidl finished the first inning scoring, flaring a liner to left that got past the diving left fielder and resulted in an RBI triple, putting JU ahead 6-1 after one.
While held without a big inning again until the end of the game, JU maintained consistent pressure over the next three frames.
Elias Flowers drew a leadoff walk in the second, and after he moved into scoring position when Armstrong walked, Nadeau drove him home. With two outs in the third,
Chase Malloy launched a solo homer to left and after Armstrong and Nadeau started the fourth with single-double, Joseph beat out an attempted double play to plate another run, and JU lead 9-1 after four.
The best push from the Wildcats came in the next two innings. After
Blake Barquin mowed down six of the first seven batters he faced, BCU found some success to start the fifth. A leadoff double and consecutive singles, the first of which scored a run put runners at first and second with one out. Barquin locked in a got out of the inning without any more damage, getting two groundouts and a strikeout to strand two.
BCU struck with two outs in the sixth, drawing a walk and hitting a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 9-4, but that is a close as they would get.
JU answered back in the seventh, when Steidl was hit by a pitch, and two batters later, Flowers was as well. Armstrong walked for the second time to load the bases with one out, and Nadeau beat out another attempted double play to score Steidl and make it 10-4.
After scoreless innings by
Parker Murphy and
Layton Perry, JU ended it early with a big eighth. Joseph banged a one-out triple off the top of the wall in left center to set the table. Pinch-hitter
Chandler Howard chased a ball in the dirt for strike three, but the pitch bounced away and not only did he reach on the wild pitch, but Joseph came home to score. The order turned over and Malloy smacked a single to left with two-outs, Flowers drew a walk to load the bases, and Armstrong delivered, ripping a bases-clearing triple to the right field corner to end it.
COACH'S COMMENTS
ON DECK
Jacksonville hosts Bellarmine for a three-game ASUN Conference series, starting Friday night at 7 p.m. at John Sessions Stadium.
THREE STRIKES
- With his three-run triple in the eighth, Kris Armstrong reached 60 RBI on the season, and becomes the first Dolphin to reach the 60 RBI mark since Adam Brett Walker drove in 75 in 2011.
- Chase Malloy registered his first three-hit game of the season
- Dolan Ramsey made his JU debut on the mound, throwing the sixth inning
