JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Jacksonville Baseball battled through a tense game, breaking through in the late innings to secure a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the West Georgia Wolves on Saturday. With an outstanding performance from the Dolphins' pitching staff, JU sealed the win and clinched the series.
Senior Chris Lotito (3-0) earned the win in relief for Jacksonville (25-16, 14-6), tossing 1.1 shutout innings with no walks and one strikeout.
Collin Rothermel also delivered a strong outing, starting the game and going 6.2 innings, allowing just two hits while striking out seven.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Dolphins wasted no time getting on the board, with sophomore
Jaden Bastian leading off the bottom of the first inning with his team-leading eighth home run.
The Wolves rallied to take a 2-1 lead, but the Dolphins answered in the seventh.
Jonah Shields was hit by a pitch, allowing senior
Aidan Masters to score and tie the game at 2-2. Lotito then shut down the Wolves in the top of the eighth, and in the bottom half, JU loaded the bases once again. This time,
Sammy Mummau was hit by a pitch, scoring pinch runner
Trent Kelly to give the Dolphins a 3-2 lead.
Nick Anello entered to close it out, securing his ninth save of the season and clinching Jacksonville's third straight series win, their 10th consecutive home victory, and an eighth straight overall win.
GAME NOTES
- Jacksonville pitchers limited West Georgia to just 1-for-9 (.111) with runners in scoring position.
- JU drew eight walks from the West Georgia pitching staff.
- The Dolphins' pitching staff faced 36 West Georgia batters, inducing 10 ground balls, eight fly balls, and striking out eight.
- Jacksonville's current eight-game win streak matches the longest win streak since 2018, a season in which the team had two separate eight-game win streaks.
POSTGAME WITH COACH HAYES
UP NEXT:
Jacksonville will close out their series against West Georgia tomorrow at 1:00 PM. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
