DeLAND, Fla.- Jacksonville Baseball's season concluded on Friday night after being defeated by Central Arkansas 11-6 in the final game of Pool B ASUN Championship play.
The Bears utilized an explosive first and fourth innings to build a lead that the Dolphins couldn't catch up to throughout the matchup.
UCA struck first with three runs in the first to give themselves an early lead. Starter Tommy Allman ended the first, avoiding any further damage with a strikeout. Allman added another pair of punchouts in the second as the game remained 3-0 heading into the third.
Cade Hentz lined the first hit of the game to try and get some momentum going for JU. The Freshman advanced to second on a balk and moved to third after a Nick DeLisi groundout. Jaden Bastian came up to bat and drove in Jacksonville's first run after he legged out a single.
Central Arkansas extended their lead and opened the game up after the Bears put up five runs, all RBI singles, with the lead now up to 8-1. In the fifth inning, they added another run with a sacrifice fly to pad their lead.
The Dolphins weren't going to back down and continued to strive to play their game. Josh Steidl and Abdriel Delgado started a two-out rally in the sixth inning that set up Hentz to pick up his second base hit of the game as well as an RBI.
Jacksonville continued to battle back the following half inning as the 'Phins loaded up the bases for the team-RBI lead Steidl. With two outs the Junior cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to give JU some much-needed life late. UCA responded with a pair of runs after the seventh-inning stretch to move the lead back to six.
In the top of the ninth, Jacksonville was not going to go out without a punch as Tyrell Brewer got a baserunner on for JU with a double in his final collegiate at-bat. Chandler Howard came up to bat next and lined a shot to deep left-center for a double, scoring Brewer to add one final run for the 'Phins. Central Arkansas ended up claiming the victory after collecting a pair of outs after Howard's double and Jacksonville's season came to an end.
"While tonight's outcome is not what we hoped for, I couldn't be prouder of our team's effort and resilience this season." Head Coach Chris Hayes commented postgame. "We faced numerous challenges and stayed resilient showing great character and determination. This loss is tough, but it's a stepping stone for us. We'll learn from it, grow, and come back even stronger. The dedication and hard work of these players have been incredible, and I have no doubt that our future is bright." Hayes further added.
