North Florida at Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — A pivotal ASUN Conference series concludes Sunday when the North Florida Ospreys visit the Jacksonville Dolphins at John Sessions Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for the afternoon. The forecast calls for cloudy skies and 62 degrees.
North Florida (14-12, 1-1 ASUN) evened the series with a 4-2 victory Friday afternoon, powered by a combined shutout effort from its bullpen. Relievers Dakota Stone, Brandon Adams and Devin Diggs tossed eight scoreless innings after the Ospreys fell 10-0 in Saturday’s contest.
Jacksonville (12-14, 1-1) aims to secure the series win at home after its offense was stifled in the opener.
A key matchup features starting pitchers coming off contrasting outings against this same opponent. North Florida’s Dakota Stone was dominant in relief Friday, throwing 3 1/3 hitless innings with three strikeouts. In his last start on March 20, he struck out nine over six innings in a win over Florida Gulf Coast.
Jacksonville will counter with Alex Walsh, who took the loss Friday. The right-hander allowed four earned runs on three hits over 4 2/3 innings. He will look to rebound from that performance and replicate his form from March 20, when he struck out 10 in a win at Queens.
The Ospreys’ bullpen, which has been a strength, may be tasked with significant innings again. Jacksonville’s offense, held to two runs on Friday, needs to generate more consistent contact after striking out nine times against North Florida’s relievers.
According to Interstat’s game simulator, North Florida is projected to win 6-3.
Following Sunday’s game, North Florida hosts Georgia Southern on Tuesday before a conference series against Queens. Jacksonville travels to face in-state rival Florida on Tuesday before hosting Stetson in another ASUN series.