BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Behind six shutout innings from
Alex Walsh and a five-run ninth inning surge, Jacksonville University baseball powered past UAB, 10-2, Friday afternoon at Young Memorial Field.
With the win, the Dolphins improve to 9-1 on the season.
Walsh set the tone early and never wavered. The senior left-hander struck out three of the first nine hitters he faced and finished with six strikeouts across six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits. He moved to 3-0 on the year and lowered his ERA to 0.96.
Derek Bermudez wasted little time continuing his unbelievable stretch at the plate. On the second pitch he saw in the top of the second inning, Bermudez launched a solo home run over the left field wall to give JU an early 1-0 lead. The blast was his fourth of the year.
The Dolphins added to the advantage in the fourth. With two outs (a theme throughout the afternoon)
Blake Edmonds ripped a two-RBI double into the left-center gap to score
Sammy Mummau and
Conner Spelman, pushing the lead to 3-0.
Two-out RBIs have become a trademark for Jacksonville, and Friday was no different.
Roger Vergara extended his hot streak in the seventh, hammering a two-run homer to right field to make it 5-0. The no-doubter was his first of the season.
UAB answered with a solo home run in the seventh and an RBI single in the eighth to cut the deficit to 5-2, but the Dolphins had the final punch.
The Kill Shot
Jacksonville broke the game open in the ninth with five runs on five hits.
Jonah Shields extended his hit streak to seven games with a perfectly placed infield bunt single that plated a run. Moments later,
Logan Baratta delivered the knockout blow: a bases-clearing triple to right-center that stretched the lead to 9-2 and brought his hit streak to nine games.
Conner Spelman capped the scoring with an RBI single to left-center. The Pre-Season All ASUN honoree was 3-4 from the plate tonight.
Under the guide of assistant coach
Turner Brown, the Dolphins continue to apply pressure on the bases, remaining a perfect 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts this season. In his first season overseeing the baserunners, the team swiped 105 bases; ranking seventh all-time in program history.
Jacksonville totaled 12 hits and once again capitalized in clutch moments, particularly with two outs.
Up Next
The Dolphins and Blazers continue the three-game series Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
