Tag: Jacksonville Dolphins

Three takeaways from Florida’s home-opening win over Jacksonville

The Gators looked sloppy at times, but it was a big night for Alex Condon on Monday as Florida moved to 2-0 with a win over Jacksonville.

Florida basketball took down Jacksonville, 81-60, in its home opener Thursday night.

Despite winning by more than 20 points, the victory was much sloppier than Florida’s season-opening win against South Florida on Monday. The two-headed monster of [autotag]Walter Clayton Jr[/autotag]. and [autotag]Will Richard[/autotag] combined for just 20 points on 9-for-20 shooting after putting up 50-plus three days ago.

The good news is two other starters, [autotag]Alex Condon[/autotag] and Alijah Martin, picked up the slack and carried the offense.

Jacksonville hung around a lot longer than it should have in this one, signaling there is still much work to do on defense for Todd Golden’s squad. Still, a win is a win, and the Gators are 2-0 heading into the weekend.

Career night for Condo

[autotag]Alex Condo[/autotag]n put up a career-high 23 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, including a pair of three-pointers. He got to the line often but only made seven of his 12 attempts. Most big men are looking for 70% at the stripe, and Condon has some touch for a 6-foot-11-inch guy.

Even with the poor performance from the stripe, Condon was dominant on offense. Securing just one rebound on the evening is another red flag, but it’s still early in the season. Condon added two blocks and two assists to fill up his stat sheet, though.

It’s not the most complete performance from Condon we’ll see this year, but it’s very good to know he can play without fouling — he committed zero after getting into early foul trouble Monday — and score when others aren’t.

Off night for Clayton?

Speaking of guys who didn’t score as much as expected, Walter Clayton Jr. was unusually quiet from the field for a guy who is considered Florida’s best scorer. Calyton only took eight shots, five of which came from deep. After sinking an early three, Clayton went cold, leading to a nine-point finish.

He had a nice poster dunk in the game’s final minutes to make the highlight reel, but Florida will be at its best when he’s scoring. With that said, it’s possible Clayton’s focus tonight was on distributing the ball. He finished the night with seven assists and just one turnover.

It wasn’t really an off night if you look at the big picture, but it’s not the style of play we’re used to seeing from Clayton.

Sam Alexis off the bench

After just two games with Florida, it appears that [autotag]Sam Alexis[/autotag] is an X-factor off the bench for the Gators. He has a bad habit of taking ill-advised deep shots, but his post-work and rebounding prowess more than make up for it.

It’s hard to see him moving into the starting lineup with Condon as the star in the frontcourt and Rueben Chinyelu playing that big-man role, but the latter has only played 35 minutes over two games. That leaves plenty of time for Alexis and Thomas Haugh to rotate in and out with him.

Alexis finished the night with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting (0-2 from deep) and seven rebounds (two offensive boards). He also rejected four shots over just 15 minutes on the court. That kind of efficiency on defense and the boards is going to get him more time in the rotation.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Gators get back on midweek track, mercy-rule Jacksonville in rematch

The Gators’ midweek struggles have continued throughout the season but the latest results give one a wee bit of confidence.

Florida baseball earned a mercy-rule victory over the visiting Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday night, 12-1, to snap a two-game losing streak to its North Florida peers. The Gators’ midweek struggles have continued throughout the season but the latest results give one a wee bit of confidence.

Tyler Shelnut headline the offensive attack, recording his first-career multi-homer game with a two-run shot in the first and three-run tank in the fifth en route to a 2-for-4 overall effort at the plate while also adding a career-high five RBIs. Ty Evans also went 2-for-4 and Jac Caglianone hit his 21st home run while going 2-for-3, with both adding a couple more runs apiece.

Five UF pitchers combined to allow just five hits across seven innings of one-run ball. Starter Jake Clemente pitched two scoreless innings before the bullpen took over for the remainder of the seven-inning affair.

Kevin O’Sullivan’s team next travels to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores for a three-game series starting on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida’s midweek woes continue against Jacksonville

Florida has a chance to beat any team in a weekend series, but the midweek has been a mystery for Kevin O’Sullivan’s club this season.

Florida can’t seem to figure it out during the midweek. The Gators are now 3-4 in such games after coming up short, 7-6, against the Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday night.

Another rough first inning plagued the Gators as Ryan Slater allowed two runs on a pair of singles and two walks. Fisher Jameson took over in the second and delivered a clean inning, but he gave up a run in the third, leading Kevin O’Sullivan back to the bullpen.

Left-hander Robert Satin walked the only batter he faced, and Grayson Smith ended the half-inning with a strikeout. Florida finally got on the board in the bottom of the frame, though, striking for four runs and taking a 4-3 lead.

Jac Caglianone hit his eighth home run of the year to start the barrage, and Tyler Shelnut picked up where he left off this weekend with a two-RBI double to right center.

Smith gave up the lead almost immediately in the fourth. A pair of RBI singles put the Dolphins back out in front, and Florida failed to capitalize in a first-and-third situation with no outs in the bottom of the inning. Credit to Jacksonville there for managing the staff well. Starter Blake Barquin was beginning to struggle, and Dylan Faulkner shut things down in a tense spot.

Faulkner ended up getting the win for Jacksonville as both offenses settled down. Luke McNeillie struck and Alex Philpott both kept the lead from growing into the ninth.

Philpott ran out of gas in the ninth, allowing two men to reach on singles with only one out. Left-handed freshman Frank Menendez came in to get out of the jam, but he gave up three singles and a pair of crucial runs. Menendez did record his first strikeout, but he was pulled for Blake Purnell after the runs came in. Purnell struck out Will Gale to keep things from getting any further out of hand.

Florida nearly completed a comeback, but Armando Albert struck out looking with a runner in scoring position to end it. Caglianone homered again earlier in the ninth inning, his ninth of the year and 49th over his career. Landon Russell drove in Luke Heyman to cut the deficit to just one, but that’s where the run ended.

Florida has some really good arms and is a threat to beat any other team in the country in a three-game series, but there are depth questions that need to be addressed on the mound. That crucial fourth starter most College World Series teams have has yet to emerge, but the Gators are getting Pierce Coppola back at some point this year. Maybe he’ll be the answer.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Instant Analysis: LSU women’s basketball puts a beatdown on Jacksonville to end non-conference play

The Tigers wrapped things up in non-conference play with a dominating performance against the Dolphins.

No. 7 LSU will enter SEC play riding a 13-game winning streak.

The Tigers women’s basketball team ended its non-conference slate by putting an absolutely beating on Jacksonville in a 110-68 win at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday night.

It wasn’t a great first half offensively for LSU, but the team shot over 62% in the second as it surged to its third-highest point total of the season. [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] led the way offensively with 20 points each, but [autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] also had big contributions with 17 points apiece.

Reese had a double-double with a team-high 20 rebounds, and Morrow also finished with a double-double with 10 rebounds.

The Dolphins struggled on the interior as they were outrebounded 54-26, and they gave LSU 52 shots from the charity stripe, of which it made 40.

LSU has now wrapped up non-conference play and will return to the court on Jan. 4 in the new year to begin its SEC schedule against Missouri at home.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

How to watch No. 7 LSU women’s basketball host Jacksonville in non-conference finale on Saturday night

LSU looks to close out its non-conference slate on a high note.

LSU will take a 12-game winning streak into the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday night as it hosts Jacksonville in what will be the final non-conference matchup of the season before the start of SEC play.

The Dolphins have had a rough season and sit at 4-8 on the year. They’ve dropped their last three contests, including a blowout loss against Alabama their last time out.

The extended holiday break provided enough time for [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] to recover from plantar fasciitis, and she’s expected to make her return to the court after missing the previous four games.

Here’s everything you need to know as the Tigers wrap up non-conference play against JU.

Key takeaways after Florida baseball splits series with Jacksonville

Florida can’t seem to figure out the winning formula on Wednesdays, but the Gators are still off to a hot start in 2023.

Florida failed to put together a perfect week once again and split a midweek home-and-home series against the Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It took Florida until the fourth inning to get things going against Jacksonville on the road Tuesday, but the Gators ended up scoring in each of the final six innings of the ball game to beat the Dolphins, 18-8.

Wednesday was a different story. Florida jumped out to an early 2-0 lead through two innings at home, but Jacksonville fought back after the Gators turned to the bullpen. A six-run sixth inning for the Dolphins proved to be enough and Florida fell, 10-8, to split the series.

Once again, pitching depth appeared to be an issue for Florida during the second midweek game of the week. Kevin O’Sullivan is still searching for the right mix of arms to last through the week without taxing any one particular pitcher too much early on.

An 8-2 start is far from a disaster, though. Florida looks like it could have a special team this season, but pitching depth could be an Achilles’ heel throughout the year.

Here’s what we learned from Florida’s series with Jacksonville.

How to Watch: Florida baseball vs Jacksonville Dolphins on Wednesday

Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s baseball action in Condron Family Ballpark.

Florida baseball gets set to host the Jacksonville Dolphins on the road on Wednesday, March 1, in the second of a midweek home-and-home series between the two in-state schools at Confron Family Ballpark in Gainesville, Florida, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Gators started the season with a three-game sweep of the visiting Charleston Southern Buccaneers but split a home-and-home with the South Florida Bulls that saw both teams win the away game during the week. The Orange and Blue bounced back from the USF loss with a sweep of the visiting Cincinnati Bearcats last weekend and took the first game of this series, 18-8, in Jacksonville on Tuesday night.

How to Watch: Florida baseball at Jacksonville Dolphins on Tuesday

Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s baseball action in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, there won’t be a broadcast but the radio team will be there.

Florida baseball gets set to play the Jacksonville Dolphins on the road on Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the first of a midweek home-and-home series between the two in-state schools at John Sessions Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Gators started the season with a three-game sweep of the visiting Charleston Southern Buccaneers but split a home-and-home with the South Florida Bulls that saw both teams win the away game during the week. The Orange and Blue bounced back from the USF loss with a sweep of the visiting Cincinnati Bearcats last weekend.

Florida baseball ekes a one-run victory at home against Jacksonville

Here’s how the Gators earned their 11th victory of 2022.

Florida baseball returned home to host the Jacksonville Dolphins for a two-game midweek series after a successful weekend in Coral Gables against the Miami Hurricanes. On Tuesday night against the Jacksonville Dolphins, the Gators earned a 1-0 victory in the first of a two-game midweek series to push their record to 11-3 on the young season.

Tyler Nesbitt took the mound for the first time since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, in which he made five appearances that included a start, tossing 11 2/3 innings of no-run ball, allowing seven hits and three walks while striking out and impressive 17 opposing hitters to earn a 1-0 record. He also had a wild pitch and hit a batter.

The 6-foot-3-inch redshirt freshman did not have the smoothest opening frame, bookending it with a pair of strikeouts while allowing a walk, hit and fly out, respectively. The Gators went down in order against JU’s Michael Darrell-Hicks to end the opening inning.

Florida cruised through the top of the second thanks to a tidy play in foul territory by Deric Fabian to get the first out and a typical Josh Rivera play to get out number two. Nesbitt put his offspeed and breaking balls to work to close out the frame. Wyatt Langford got on base with a first-pitch bunt in the bottom but was doubled off on a check-swing soft liner by BT Riopelle. Kendric Calilao followed that up two-out double but a sharp grounder by Rivera to third base ended the threat.

Ryan Slater took over at the top of the third, and Jud Fabian showed off his fielding skills on the first pitch with an all-star catch coming in on a soft fly ball. The 6-foot-3-inch pitcher worked quickly with a low-90s fastball and mid-80s slider to put away the ‘Fins in order on 10 pitches. Kris Armstrong led off the bottom half with an opposite-field short fly that fell for a hit, followed by a Colby Halter bunt that resulted in a hit and an error to put runners on second and third with no outs. But the inning was cut short by a Deric Fabian strikeout and a Sterlin Thompson line out.

Slater made short work of JU in the fourth, sending the Dolphins down in order. The Gators got a runner on base with one out in the bottom half but a Calilao grounder to third ended the inning with a double play. Jacksonville went down in order the next time around while Darrell-Hicks had a quiet fifth inning against the Gators despite a slow single against the shift for Armstrong.

In the sixth, Slater continued his hitless effort thanks to an over-the-shoulder catch by Calilao in foul territory behind first base to quickly shut down the ‘Fins. The Gators got on the board after a two-out walk to Langford that ended Darrell-Hicks’ day, followed by a beautiful bunt down the third-base line for Riopelle and a Calilao single to left to plate the game’s first run. However, a flyout to right put out the fire.

Jax opened the seventh with a bunt hit of their own down the third-base line but a fielder’s choice and an actual double play put any hopes of striking back to rest. Armstrong made it three hits on the day to open the bottom half of the frame, and after Deric hit into a fielder’s choice, the younger Fabian got doubled off on a fly ball to right to end the inning quietly.

Nick Ficarrotta took over in the top of the eighth, getting into a little bit of trouble after allowing a one-out single and a two-out walk. A coaching visit to the mound appeared to do the trick, as he got out of the inning unscathed after a soft grounder to second. Jud led off the bottom half with his first hit of the night on a liner to left after which Thompson’s 13-game hitting streak came to an end with a lazy fly to center. Following a Fabian stolen base UNF replaced their pitcher with Tyler Vogel.

Fabian made it to third on a deep flyout to right but Jacksonville’s fireballer got Riopelle to strike out, ending the threat. Ficarrotta mowed down the first two Dolphins in the ninth before issuing a two-out walk, but struck out the final batter to earn his third save of the season. 

The Gators will do it again on Wednesday night at the same time, the same place against the same team. Garrett Milchin is scheduled to start for Florida while Jacksonville’s starter is still to be determined.

[listicle id=79418]

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

A dumb NCAA rule is the reason Bellarmine won’t make March Madness despite winning the ASUN tourney

A weird rule is keeping the Knights from the Big Dance.

The Bellarmine Knights defeated Jacksonville University in the ASUN Conference championship game, 77-72. They won’t, however, be going to the NCAA tournament thanks to a weird rule. Bellarmine made the jump to Division I on July 1 of 2020, moving all 22 varsity programs up from the lower division.

Since the men’s basketball team is within the four-year window of making the change up to D1, the Knights are not eligible for postseason play in the NCAA tournament this year.

Bellarmine stunned Liberty in the ASUN semifinals, and Jacksonville upset top-seeded Jacksonville State to set up Tuesday night’s title game. The Knights held off a late push by the Dolphins with strong free throw shooting, but they won’t get to celebrate like we’d all hope.

In the weirdest twist possible, the representative for the ASUN isn’t even Jacksonville. It’s Jacksonville State. Since the Dolphins fell in the championship to an ineligible team, the Gamecocks — which won the ASUN regular season — will take the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Bellarmine will finish with 20 wins at 20-13 overall in just their second D1 season.

According to the ESPN2 broadcast, they do get to claim the title and trophy that comes with being ASUN champs, just not the coveted auto-bid.

Come on, NCAA. Let Bellarmine dance.

[mm-video type=video id=01fxmxerf6vggtkjdfsp playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fxmxerf6vggtkjdfsp/01fxmxerf6vggtkjdfsp-76379ed988d0d8cf911bfd392fd94bf0.jpg]

[listicle id=1850439]