JACKSONVILLE. Fla. – North Florida baseball cruised past crosstown rival Jacksonville, 15-4, in game one of the River City Rumble series at John Sessions Stadium on Thursday night. 
 
Jacksonville got on the board with its initial run in the bottom of the first inning before North Florida responded with seven runs over the third, fourth and fifth. 
 
Redshirt sophomore Nick Monile placed Ospreys in scoring position with a stand up double to left center field to threaten in the third. In the ensuing at bat, senior Jabin Bates pieced a single back up the middle to plate the pair of Ospreys and make it 2-1. Bates came home on a Dolphins' throwing error to extend the lead to 3-1. 
 
North Florida added three runs in the fourth inning and another run in the fifth to build a decisive six-run lead. With runners on second and third, Monile drove in both with a base hit. Monile crossed home plate on a wild pitch to make it 6-1. 
 
Freshman Seth Alford led off the fifth inning with a double down the left field line and then scored on a base hit to left by senior Drew Leinenbach to extend the margin to 7-1. Jacksonville responded with three runs in the sixth inning to trim its deficit to 7-4.
 
North Florida broke the game open in the seventh with a decisive five-run frame. Monile tallied his third and fourth RBI with a single to left field that make it 9-4. With the bases loaded, senior Cade Bush reached on another Dolphins' error that scored three more runs and pushed the count to 12-4.
 
The margin reached double digits in the ninth inning with a three-run frame for North Florida. Redshirt sophomore Connor Witherington, Bush and sophomore Mitchell Collins recorded three-straight walks with the bases loaded to secure the dominant differential.
 
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Clay Hendry (6-4)
Loss: Richard Long (7-3)
 
LINE SCORES
UNF | 15 R, 10 H, 0 E, 10 LOB
JU | 4 R, 9 H, 5 E, 9 LOB
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS
UNF
Nick Monile | 3-5, 4 R, 4 RBI, BB
Jabin Bates | 1-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB
Drew Leinenbach | 2-3, RBI, 2 R
 
JU
Jonah Shields | 2-5, 2 R
Blake Delamielleure | 1-4, RBI, R
 
UP NEXT
North Florida takes the field for game two of the River City Rumble series at Jacksonville on Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m.