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5/24/2007 - BASEBALL
Jacksonville Knocks Off Top-Seeded Stetson
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DeLand, Fla. - The No. 4 seed Jacksonville Dolphins stayed alive defeating the No. 1 seed Stetson Hatters 4-1 on day two of the 2007 Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship presented by Progress Energy. The Dolphins created havoc on the base paths all game long stealing five bases against the Hatters. The A-Sun tourney record for stolen bases in a game by a team is six, which was set by Stetson versus Centenary in 1989. JU's Matt Davis won the pitching duel going 8 innings and only allowing 1 run. Matt Dobbins came in to save the game for the Dolphins, his first of the season. A-Sun player of the year Pete Clifford paced the Jacksonville offence going 3-4 with a solo home run.
Stetson's Chris Ingoglia lasted 7.2 innings, allowing 4 runs, 3 earned and struck out 12 in the losing effort. It was the second game in a row that the Hatters starting pitcher struck out twelve batters after Corey Kluber did it Wednesday night.
Stetson will play at 11 a.m. on Friday versus the loser of Mercer/Belmont. Jacksonville will play Gardner-Webb at 3 p.m. Both games will be elimination games for both team.
Matt Davis worked a perfect first inning for Jacksonville getting Shane Jordan, Casey Frawley and Braedyn Pruitt to all fly out to center field. Stetson's Chris Ingoglia worked himself into a bit of trouble in the bottom of the first. Ingoglia beaned leadoff hitter Chuck Opachich, but he was caught stealing on a pick-off. Ingoglia then walked Mike McCallister. Pete Clifford, singled to right field to put two men on base. Ryan McArdle came through with the RBI single, driving in Mike McCallister. Clifford advanced to third on the play. Ingoglia escaped the inning with no more damage striking out Donnie Vickers and Thomas LePage.
Ingoglia got Mike McCallister to strike out to start the bottom of the third inning, his fifth strikeout of the day. Pete Clifford came to bat next and launched the day's first home run over the right field wall to give the Dolphins a 2-0 lead.
JU's Matt Davis retired the first 10 batters he faced before Casey Frawley singled to left field with one out in the fourth inning. Braedyn Pruitt and Justin Bass both popped out to end the inning.
JU's Thomas LePage reached third base after a sacrifice bunt and a ground out where he advanced in the bottom of the fourth. Ingoglia struck out John Tiner to end the inning.
The Hatters threatened to get on the board in the top of the fifth. Adam Tindle was hit by a pitch to start the rally. Designated hitter, Aaron Crittenden worked a walk, and that was followed by a Jeremy Cruz single to load the bases with no outs. Catcher, Josh Clendenin watched strike three catch the outside corner for the first out of the inning. Pete Dunn pinch hit Erich Holland for Kevin Johnson, and Holland grounded into the inning ending double play. Stetson entered the game batting .357 with the bases loaded. Clendinin came to the plate 2-6 with the bases loaded on the season. It was Holland's first at bat with the bases juiced.
Jacksonville jumped right back on the Hatters in the bottom of the fifth with Chuck Opachich drawing a leadoff walk. The freshman then stole second base and advacned to third on the muffed catch by Jeremy Cruz. Opachich came home on a Mike McCallister single to left to give the Dolphins a 3-0 lead. McCallister then stole second for JU's third stolen base of the game. After a Ryan McArdle walk, Donnie Vickers flew out to right, and McArdle stole second for JU's fourth stolen base of the game. Thomas LePage worked Ingoglia to a full count, but looked at strike three stranding runners on second and third.
Shane Jordan grounded out to start the Hatters sixth inning, but the next three batters reached to load the bases with one out. Casey Frawley singled to left field, Braedyn Pruitt walked and Justin Bass singled to left. Adam Tindle, who had a two-rbi double against Lipscomb, hit a deep sacrifice fly to right field to bring home the Hatters first run cutting the lead to 3-1. The inning ended on a weird note. On the Tindle sac fly, Justin Bass rounded second base, but on his way back to first base Tindle did not touch second base. Jacksonville pitcher Matt Davis set up to pitch to the next batter and then threw the ball to second base appealing the play. The umpires agreed with the Dolphins and Tindle was called out.
Matt Davis escaped a jam in the eighth inning coaxing Adam Tindle into a fly out to right, stranding Hatters on the corners.
Jacksonville put the game away in the bottom of the eighth when Matt Lopez doubled to deep left-center, bringing home Thomas LePage for a 4-1 lead.
Shane Jordan, who is 10 hits shy of first place on the A-Sun career hits list, went 0-4 against the Dolphins. The last time the No. 1 seed won the A-Sun tournament without losing a game was in 2002, accomplished by UCF. The No. 1 seed has won the tournament three times since 1998.
Jacksonville improves their all-time tourney record to 15-11. Stetson falls to 40-31 in A-Sun tourney play.
