JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University earned a pair of Valentine's Day victories on Saturday, sweeping Rhode Island in a doubleheader with an 11-6 win in game one and a 4-3 walk-off victory in the nightcap.

The Dolphins' offense picked up right where it left off in the first inning, putting three runs on the board after a Roger Vergara RBI base hit and a bases-clearing double from Derek Bermudez. 

Through three games, the duo has been among Jacksonville's hottest bats, with Vergara opening the season 7-for-9 and Bermudez close behind at 6-for-11, both ranking in the team's top three in batting average.

The game sat at 4-2 in the fifth before a slew of Dolphin hits blew it wide open. Sam Grunberg reached safely with a walk, and Derek Bermudez and Logan Baratta followed with back-to-back singles. Nick DeLisi continued the timely hitting, knocking in two runs with another base knock. 

After Sammy Mummau and Blake Edmonds were both hit by pitches to load the bases, Cade Walter kept the rally rolling with a two-RBI single. Jonah Shields capped off the six-run inning with a sacrifice fly that brought home Mummau.

From there, the Dolphins rolled. Dom Pieto, the Tulane transfer, made a big impact during his JU debut. The graduate senior saw 14 hitters and struck out 8 of them – on his birthday. He picked up the win. 

As a team, JU drew a steady 6 walks and ended with 4 stolen bases. 

Game two featured a tighter finish, as Jacksonville rallied late to secure the sweep.

Rhode Island struck first with an unearned run in the opening inning, but JU answered immediately with two runs in the bottom of the first. In an act of role reversal, Vergara delivered an RBI double to tie it up and Bermudez followed with an RBI single to give the Dolphins an early lead. 

The Rams moved ahead in the sixth with two unearned runs, but Jacksonville responded quickly as Archer Ogbourne scored later in the inning, to even the contest at 3-3. 

The deciding run came in the seventh, when Griffin Pomper drove in Vergara with the game-winning RBI ground out.

Payton Waters opened the nightcap with four strikeouts in two innings, and Austin Williamson earned the victory after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to close it out.

Through three games, Chris Hayes' squad has scored a whopping 31 runs. A common theme in the surge has been Jacksonville's first three hitters in the lineup consistently setting the tone at the top.

Between Walter, Shields and Vergara, you can find 17 of those runs coming from one of their bats. With the offense firing on all cylinders early, the Dolphins will look to keep the momentum rolling as the weekend continues.

Jacksonville continues the opening series against Rhode Island on Sunday, at noon in John Sessions Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.