JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A late rally came up clutch for Jacksonville in the bottom of the ninth as
Derek Bermudez smoked a ball into the outfield to win it at the end, 3-2, over visiting Florida Gulf Coast.
Jacksonville had just two hits all night, none more important than Bermudez's at the brink to push JU and FGCU to a rubber match Saturday morning. Until the ninth, it was all JU pitching.
Brendan Holland got the starting nod for the 'Phins (28-24, 15-14 ASUN) and went five solid innings. He threw 67 pitches, 48 for strikes for a 72% strike percentage. The graduate lefty fanned six batters and allowed just one hit.
In the first, Holland sent two Eagles packing with strikeouts. He struck out the last batter in the second and the first in the third, keeping the visitors off the basepath until the fourth inning.
While on the bump, Holland also snagged a liner out of the air for a web-gem play to end the top of the second frame.
Holland was relieved by
Logan Hartman after Holland's eighth six-strikeout-plus game of the season, where the Eagles broke a 0-0 tie with two runs in the top of the sixth inning.
Scout Updike threw for a frame, allowing two hits but fanning a pair.
Kyle Powers was the fourth arm of the night, part of a two-game stretch that has seen almost every 'Phin arm throw against FGCU. Powers ended the game out for JU, with two strikeouts and only four hits allowed. The combined Dolphin arms fanned 10 batters over the course of the evening's game.
It wasn't until the bottom of the eighth inning when the Dolphins finally got on the basepath.
The hitless streak was broken when
Abdriel Delgado drilled a ball back at the feet of the FGCU reliever and safely made his way to first for the first baserunner for the home squad. But an ensuing double play erased the runners for JU and helped end the inning.
Blake Edmonds got on the basepath in the bottom of the ninth via a walk, the first of the game for FGCU.
Cade Walter was later walked to put two runners on for the first time all night with the game-winning run stepping up to the plate.
That batter was
Sammy Mummau, who got plunked to load the bases for
Roger Vergara. And it was Vergara who drew a full count walk to score JU's first.
The walk caused a pitching change for FGCU, leaving Bermudez in against a new arm. After one pitch, the Dolphin dugout was all on the field celebrating the victory. Bermudez extended his hitting streak to six games via his walk-off single.
While Bermudez gets the credit for his winner, the JU pitching staff did a ton of work in holding FGCU to its lowest run total since April 28 in a loss to FAU. Over a two-game stretch, Jacksonville has held FGCU to just five runs which is its lowest run total in a pair of contests since the last time these two sides met and JU won a pair, holding the Eagles to five total.
Jacksonville closes out its regular season with one final game against FGCU on Saturday, May 16. The game will act as Senior Day for Jacksonville's 13 seniors and team manager Carson Goldberg.
Behind the win and ensuing winner-take-all final, Jacksonville has set itself up well for its playoff push, starting next week in DeLand.
