GAME 1 | Jacksonville 3, Queens (NC) 1
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Senior Collin Rothermel delivered an impressive outing on the mound Saturday, leading the Jacksonville Dolphins to a 3-1 victory over the Queens Royals.
Rothermel (4-2) earned the win for JU with a strong performance, tossing seven innings while allowing just one run on three hits, walking two, and striking out five.
Junior
Anthony Cordero was dominant in relief, pitching two scoreless innings, surrendering only one hit, walking none, and striking out three to lock down his first save of the season.
Offensively, the Dolphins were paced by senior
Josh Steidl, who went 3-for-4 on the day with a double, a home run and an RBI. Senior
Carson Stevens furnished a standout performance as well, going 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Junior
Chandler Howard also chipped in for Jacksonville, adding a double.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Dolphins jumped ahead in the fourth inning with Steidl's ninth home run of the season, a solo shot to right.
Stevens followed with an RBI single to left, scoring Howard and making it 2-0 'Phins.
JU kept the Royals off the board and added to its lead in the fifth inning when Cade Hentz lifted a sacrifice fly to left, bringing home Clayton Hodges to make it 3-0 Dolphins.
The combination of Rothermel and Cordero kept Queens in check, allowing just one run while finishing strong to shut down the game. Rothermel went seven innings, and Cordero closed it out with two scoreless frames, securing the victory for Jacksonville.
GAME 2 | Jacksonville 9, Queens (NC) 2
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Baseball jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning and never relinquished the advantage, cruising to a 9-2 win over the Queens Royals on Saturday evening to complete the series sweep.
It was a special moment for senior Chris Lotito, who made his first appearance of the season after battling through injury. Coming out of the bullpen, Lotito earned the win for Jacksonville (16-11, 6-3), tossing one shutout inning while allowing no hits, no walks, and striking out one.
Junior Alex Walsh also had a good day, starting the game and going five strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits, walking two, and striking out four.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Dolphins jumped on the board early, scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore Jonah Shields delivered an RBI single, bringing home sophomore Jaden Bastian from second base.
In the 6th inning, Jacksonville extended its lead with a series of key hits; Shields delivered a two-RBI double, scoring Hentz and Bastian.
Steidl then singled, bringing Shields home. Finally,
Blake Edmonds hit a two-RBI single, driving in Steidl and
Blake DeLamielleure.
Jacksonville held Queens scoreless in the seventh inning and extended their lead to 7-1 with an RBI single from graduate senior DeLamielleure.
The Royals closed the gap to 7-2, but JU added some insurance in the eighth. Conner Spelman hit the first home run of his career, a solo shot, making it 8-2.
Later, an error by the shortstop allowed Hentz to reach base, scoring Edmonds and extending the lead to 9-2.
The score remained 9-2 for the rest of the game, as the Dolphins coasted to the win. Nick Anello came in during the ninth inning and secured the series sweep, helping Jacksonville finish the week with a perfect 4-0 record.
GAME NOTES
Game 1
- The Dolphins out-hit the Royals at a 7-4 clip.
- JU pitchers limited Queens (NC) to just 1-for-7 (.143) with runners in scoring position, facing 33 hitters overall, allowing eight ground balls, 10 fly balls, and striking out eight.
Game 2
- Four Dolphins had multiple hits in the game: (Jaden Bastian, Jonah Shields, Blake DeLamielleure, and Blake Edmonds)
- The 'Phins out-hit the Royals at a 13-5 clip.
- JU went 6-for-11 (.545) with runners in scoring position.
- Jacksonville pitchers faced 34 Queens (NC) hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out seven.
POSTGAME WITH COACH HAYES
UP NEXT
The Dolphins will take on #4 Florida State this Tuesday before heading to Fort Myers next weekend for an ASUN Conference series against FGCU.
