DELAND, Fla. — Jacksonville Baseball split Saturday's doubleheader against Stetson at Melching Field, taking game one 5-4 before dropping the rain-delayed nightcap, 16-6.
With the split, Jacksonville moved to 28-22 overall and 15-12 in ASUN play heading into Sunday's series finale.
Game One
Stetson put runners on the corners in the first after an executed hit-and-run and a single through the right side. A walk later, the Hatters had the bases loaded with only one out. Alex Walsh worked himself into a full count before blowing a high fastball past the Stetson hitter for a strikeout. One pitch later, Walsh induced a pop up into foul territory to Sam Grunberg, escaping the jam untouched.
Walsh went through the Hatters in order in the second after the lead-off runner attempted to stretch a throwing error into third base, but Abdriel Delgado fired him out at third.
Cade Walter reached in the third after being hit by his 23rd pitch of the season. Sammy Mummau followed with a stinger to left field before Roger Vergara wore a pitch to load the bases.
Derek Bermudez made Stetson pay.
The designated hitter lined a two-run single into left field, scoring Walter and Mummau to give Jacksonville a 2-0 lead.
An inning later, Logan Baratta launched a solo homerun to deep center field. The blast left the bat at 101 miles per hour with a 31-degree launch angle, traveling 399 feet.
Walsh exited after five innings, allowing only one earned run while striking out six. The senior worked around multiple traffic-filled innings, showing his normal poise in key spots.
Kyle Hopper entered in the sixth and Stetson cut the lead to one after a pair of hits. With a runner aboard, Cade Walter preserved the advantage with a diving catch in the right-center gap to end the inning.
Through six innings, six of Jacksonville's nine starters had recorded a hit.
In the seventh, the top of the lineup came through again.
Mummau worked a lead-off walk in a full count before Vergara unloaded on a ball to deep right field. The homer traveled 364 feet off the bat at 101 miles per hour with a 32-degree launch angle, extending the lead to 5-2.
Stetson answered with two runs in the bottom half, bringing the tying run aboard, but Austin Williamson slammed the door. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings while striking out two to secure his third save of the season.
Mummau, Vergara, Grunberg, Baratta and Conner Spelman all recorded multi-hit performances in the win.
Game Two
After a lengthy rain delay pushed first pitch into the afternoon, Jacksonville jumped on the Hatters early.
Sammy Mummau opened the game with a double to left-center before Derek Bermudez crushed a two-run homerun to left field just three batters later. The blast traveled 393 feet and gave the Dolphins an early 2-0 lead.
Stetson threatened in the bottom half after a double and wild pitch moved a runner to third, but Brendan Holland stranded him there to keep the Hatters off the board.
Jacksonville added on again in the second.
Archer Ogbourne punched a single through the left side before Griffin Pomper drove him home with a double to left-center. Cade Walter later worked a walk, and after a failed pickoff attempt moved both runners up, Roger Vergara grounded out to plate another run and extend the lead to 4-0.
Stetson responded in the third.
A pair of runners reached before Landon Russell lined an RBI single into shallow center. Two batters later, Yohann Dessureault tied the game with a two-run homerun to deep center field.
Jacksonville regained the lead in the fourth without recording a hit. Pomper walked and eventually came around to score after two Stetson throwing errors and a Sammy Mummau sacrifice fly.
Holland bounced back with a shutdown fourth inning, striking out two and retiring the Hatters in order.
The game shifted in the fifth, after the long rain delay.
After a lead-off double, Stetson tied the game on an RBI single before Samuel Fernandez launched a three-run homerun to left field, putting the Hatters in front 8-5.
The Hatters continued to add on in the sixth after a double into the gap and a Jacksonville throwing error plated three more runs.
Jacksonville scratched one across in the seventh after Vergara doubled and later scored on a Delgado groundout, but Stetson answered immediately in the bottom half with five runs.
The inning featured four walks, a sacrifice bunt that turned into an error, and a two-run single down the right field line from Renzo Gonzalez.
Pomper reached base twice and scored two runs in the loss, while Bermudez drove in two with his first inning homerun. Vergara added a double and an RBI, while Mummau reached base twice.
Jacksonville will play its rubber match versus Stetson tommorrow at 1:00 p.m.
