CARROLLTON, Ga. – Jacksonville Baseball dropped the series opener to West Georgia, 6–4, on Friday, despite a strong showing from sophomore Jaden Bastian, who tallied two triples in the loss.
Senior Richard Long turned in a solid start for Jacksonville, working seven innings and allowing just four earned runs on six hits. The right-hander struck out two and walked one in the outing.
Bastian's two triples highlighted a 2-for-5 day at the plate, which also included an RBI. Senior Aidan Masters turned in a strong performance as well, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI. Fellow senior Blake DeLamielleure added to the effort with an RBI single in a 1-for-4 showing.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 1–0, the Dolphins first put runs on the board in the fourth inning. Jacksonville got an RBI single from Masters, scoring sophomore Jonah Shields from third base.
The game remained tied until the sixth, when Masters delivered his second RBI single of the night to give JU a 2–1 lead.
West Georgia answered with a four-run bottom half to swing the momentum, but Jacksonville continued to battle. In the eighth, DeLamielleure lifted a sacrifice fly to score Shields and trim the deficit to 5–3.
The Wolves extended their lead to 6–3 before Jacksonville made one last push in the ninth. Bastian delivered an RBI triple to score sophomore Trent Kelly, cutting the deficit to 6–4. Despite the effort, the rally fell short, and the game ended with West Georgia holding on for the win.
GAME NOTES
- Jacksonville's power output was led by Bastian, who is now tied for the ASUN lead in triples with five on the year.
- JU pitchers faced 35 West Georgia hitters, allowing eight ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out three.
- Shields swiped his 15th base of the season, moving into a tie for second in the ASUN. Bastian holds the top spot with 20 steals.
UP NEXT:
Jacksonville continues the series with game two set for tomorrow at 3:00 PM. Live stats and streaming will be available and can be found on our website.
