JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Baseball kept the momentum rolling and completed the sweep Sunday afternoon, defeating Queens, 6-2, at John Sessions Stadium.
With the win, the Dolphins have now won eight straight games and secured their second consecutive ASUN series sweep, continuing their surge in conference play. Along with owning the the second highest RPI in the conference, JU now sits only three games back of first in the ASUN's Graphite Division. The win brings the squad to 12-9 in conference, after starting 2-7 in their first nine.
Jacksonville once again leaned on a recurring theme of balanced offensive effort, late inning runs and a pitching staff that could came through when it mattered.
Kyle Powers, who was on a pre-determined pitch count, earned his first win of the season, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings to open the game and set the tone early. The Dolphins' bullpen followed with a steady performance, limiting Queens to just two runs the rest of the way to preserve the lead.
At the plate, Jacksonville struck early and continued a trend that has defined this stretch; answering immediately.
After Queens cut into the lead with a solo home run in the fifth, the Dolphins responded in the bottom half. Derek Bermudez delivered an RBI double to push the lead back to two, part of a day where he extended his hitting streak to 11 games. He's back to his form from the beginning of the season.
Queens again pulled within one in the sixth with another solo homer, but Jacksonville answered once more.
In the eighth, the Dolphins broke things open. Bermudez came through again with a two-run double down the right field line, and Abdriel Delgado followed with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 6-2 and put the game out of reach.
Roger Vergara continued his torrid stretch at the plate, turning in a four-hit performance — his third of the season. In 43 games this year, Vergara has recorded a hit in all but seven, serving as a consistent catalyst atop the lineup.
Delgado stayed hot as well, driving in another run to bring his total to 11 RBIs over the last six games, while Sammy Mummau extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
The Dolphins finished with 12 hits on the afternoon, getting contributions up and down the lineup as they closed out the sweep.
Jacksonville will look to carry its eight-game winning streak into a full-circle moment on this hot stretch, traveling to North Florida Ospreys for a pivotal three-game series beginning Friday.
