DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – Jacksonville University baseball rallied late to win on the road, defeating Bethune-Cookman 8-7 on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
The Dolphins (12-6) scored three in the seventh and two more in the eighth to erase a four-run deficit.
JU first came on the board, when Chase Malloy walked to lead off the game and advanced to third Kris Armstrong’s double. Hogan McIntosh grounded to first, scoring Malloy to make it 1-0.
The Wildcats tied the score in the second, but the Dolphins quickly regained the lead in the third. Malloy started again and hit a double off the left field wall. With two outs, McIntosh came through once again, singled through the right side to put JU back up 2-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, a line drive led to third of the inning, with a throwing error putting the first BCU runner at second. A single put runners on the corners and the Wildcats tried a pinch play, but the bunt was popped up the first base line. Colin Wetterau dove to try and catch it, but the ball landed just beyond his reach in fair territory, and spun quickly wrong. The umpires ruled that Wetterau had touched the ball in fair territory and the runner was safe, with the runner on third coming in to score and tie the game at two. A groundout to first added another run, followed by an RBI double to put BCU up 4-2 after four.
JU got back within one in the fifth, with McIntosh reaching on a two-out two-base throwing error and Justin Nadeau drove him in with a single to center, but BCU got more insurance in the bottom half. After a leadoff walk, the runner stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw into center field. Then, after another walk, a run was scored on a double steal. An RBI single pushed another run across, giving the Wildcats a 6-2 lead at the end of the fifth.
A leadoff walk for BCU in the sixth came to score after a wild pitch, groundout and RBI single.
Into the seventh trailing 7-3, Cam Ridley ignited the group by drawing a one-out. Armstrong followed with an infield single to short and McIntosh walked to load the bases. Nadeau stepped up and delivered again, driving a ball up the middle that booted the diving second baseman to left to score on a double. A wild pitch then scored Armstrong and JU entered the seventh inning down 7-6.
After Divine Valle turned in JU’s first defensive 1-2-3 inning of the night, Elijah’s flowers and Malloy each got a walk with one out in the top of the eighth. With two outs, Armstrong drove one up the middle to score Flowers to tie it, and the Wildcats’ center fielder threw to third to try to get Malloy, but the throw sailed, and Malloy raced home to put JU ahead.
Jack Carver struck out one and walked one, and got the first two out of the eighth, with Chris Lotito record an extent to end the frame. He then allowed a leadoff single to start the ninth, but got one out on a sacrifice bunt, a strikeout, and had the final batter fly out into foul territory in left to end it.
ON DECK
Jacksonville opens ASUN Conference play this weekend, traveling to Nashville to face Lipscomb.
THREE STRIKES
- JU improves to 3-0 on road, best road start since Dolphins last went 3-0 on road in 2008
- Justin Nadeau collected a career-high three RBI
- Divine Valle earned his first career win with 2.1 innings of one-run relief, striking out three
