FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Jacksonville Baseball stormed back from a six-run deficit to take down FGCU 13–7 on Sunday, capping off the weekend with an impressive comeback win.
Junior Grant Brooks (1-0) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Jacksonville (17-14, 7-5). The right-hander went 2.1 shutout innings without giving up a hit, allowing no walks and striking out two. Senior Layton Perry also made an impact on the mound for the Dolphins, throwing two scoreless innings while allowing one hit, with one walk and one strikeout.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 6-0, the Dolphins first put runs on the board in the sixth inning. Josh Steidl sparked the rally with a line-drive RBI single up the middle to bring home Jaden Bastian. Moments later, Blake DeLamielleure beat out a fielder's choice, allowing Jonah Shields to score, and Carson Stevens capped the three-run frame with a single to left-center that plated Abdriel Delgado and pulled the Dolphins within striking distance.
Jacksonville chipped away at the deficit in the seventh, beginning with Steidl's RBI single to right-center. The ball skipped past the center fielder, allowing Steidl to take second as Bastian crossed the plate and Shields moved up to third. Next up, DeLamielleure delivered a clutch two-run single into the gap in left-center, scoring both Shields and Steidl to even the score at 6-6. With DeLamielleure on third after advancing on a wild pitch and a throwing error, he came around to score the go-ahead run on a strikeout-turned-miscue, when a throw from the catcher sailed into the outfield, making it 7-6 'Phins.
The Dolphins poured it on in the eighth, erupting for five more runs to blow the game open. Jonah Shields got things started with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt, pushing Sammy Mummau across the plate and moving Aidan Masters into scoring position. Moments later, DeLamielleure came up clutch once again. The grad student crushed a three-run homer to left — his fifth of the season — bringing home Masters and Steidl and stretching the lead even further. Conner Spelman capped off the inning with a sharp single up the middle, scoring Chandler Howard to make it a 12-6 ballgame and finishing off a dominant five-run frame.
Bastian capped the day with a solo blast in the ninth — his third straight game with a homer. FGCU scratched across a run in the bottom half, but the Dolphins shut the door to lock in the 13-7 win.
GAME NOTES
- Bastian compiled three hits in the game for Jacksonville.
- DeLamielleure drove in six runs for JU.
- Jacksonville's highest-scoring inning was the eighth, when the Dolphins pushed five runs across.
- Four Dolphins had multiple hits in the ballgame.
- JU out-hit the Eagles at a 13-11 clip.
- Jacksonville went 6-for-13 (.462) with runners in scoring position.
- The Dolphins pitchers faced 41 FGCU hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and eight fly balls while striking out six.
- JU drew five walks from FGCU pitching.
UP NEXT
The Dolphins will head to Statesboro for a midweek matchup against Georgia Southern on Tuesday, April 8, at 6:00 PM. Follow along with the action and stay up to date on all things Jacksonville Baseball by visiting our website and following us on our social media channels.
