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5/23/2009 - BASEBALL
Dolphins Eliminate Bruins; Bisons Await in Title Game
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Courtesy ASunPhotos.com
DELAND, Fla. - Billy Schlee delievered seven innings of clutch relief and All-Atlantic Sun catcher Jeremy Gillan knocked home three runs as Jacksonville returned to the title game for the second time in three years, eliminating Belmont, 7-5, on Saturday from Stetson's Melching Field at Conrad Park.
Schlee entered the game for Jacksonville (35-20) before a batter had been retired as starting pitcher Matt Loosen allowed the first four Bruins to reach base. The senior entered with a bases-loaded, no-out situation and trailing 1-0. He limited the damage to just a single run in the frame and over his next six innings of work, held Belmont (29-29) to just three hits and surrendered only an unearned run in the fourth.
The Dolphins bats started on the comeback trail immediately, scoring a run in the first on a sacrifice fly from Thomas Myers, plating Kyle Fleming. An inning later, the Dolphins took a 3-2 lead as Glen Johnson drove in Brad Simmons with a ground out and First-Team All-Atlantic Sun second baseman Chuck Opachich singled in Jamaal Hawkins.
Belmont tied the game in the fourth and the contest remained square until Jacksonville came to bat in the last of the sixth. Johnson led off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch; Opachich followed with a bunt single. Fleming gave the Dolphins the lead for good as he doubled down the left-field, scoring Johnson. Gillan drove home Opachich and Fleming with a line shot to center.
One inning later, the Dolphins increased the lead to 7-3 with Gillan again in the role as the run producer. His RBI double chased home Opachich. The senior finished his first A-Sun Championship game 3-for-4 with three RBI.
The Bruins pecked away at the lead after Schlee departed in the top of the eighth. Second-Team All-Atlantic Sun closer Chris Kaminski allowed single runs in each of the last two innings, but with Brandon McCall on first as the tying run, Kaminski struck out Matt Zeblo to the end the game. Schlee earned the victory to improve to 4-2. Tyler Graskewicz (2-7) suffered the loss.
Jacksonville plays defending champions, Lipscomb, in search of a fourth A-Sun Championship. The Dolphins won the title in 1999, 2003 and in 2007, their last appearance in the field. The Dolphins and Bisons take the field at 8:40 p.m. During the regular season, Jacksonville took two of three from Lipscomb, winning 7-6 and 12-2 on April 24 and 25 while losing the series finale, 3-2 one day later.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
