FLORENCE, Ala. — UWF baseball (5-6, 1-0 GSC) opened GSC play with a 5-0 win at North Alabama (6-5, 0-1 GSC) Sunday. Starter Tony Kucera and reliever Dylan Mills-Derouen combined for nine innings of two-hit, shutout baseball to put the Argos up 1-0 in the three-game series. The teams will close the set tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Kucera (2-1) began the day on the hill and turned in an excellent performance. He lasted five innings, surrendering just two hits and two walks while striking out five. He faced just 19 batters over his five innings of work to pick up the win.
"Pitching's going to dictate everything," said UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat. "Tony got us out of the gate, throwing strikes and locating. He was down in the zone today. He got some easy outs early in the game and got us back in the dugout."
Dylan Mills-Derouen entered the game in the sixth and proceeded to allow just one baserunner over the next four innings. He did not surrender a hit or a run, striking out six and walking just one in picking up his first save of the season.
"Mills came in after five, and he just dominated the rest of the way," said Jeffcoat. "I think when we got the three [runs] in the top of the sixth, and he went out there with a 4-0 lead, that gave him a little cushion to feel a little more comfortable. He really shut them down."
The Argos got to last year's GSC Pitcher of the Year Tyler Joyner for six hits and five runs (two earned) over 7.2 innings. Jacob Silverstein got the scoring going in the fifth with an RBI single to score Trevor Payne.
"They had their number one going, Pitcher of the Year last year, and he's always going to be a tough nut to crack," said Jeffcoat. "We were able to show some discipline and make some adjustments."
UWF tagged Joyner for three more tallies in the sixth. Robert Lopez picked up an RBI with his first double of the game to score Joey Bend. Mason Dinesen added an RBI single to score Payne again before Lopez came across as the third run on a North Alabama error.
Lopez and Dinesen each doubled in the eighth to bring the final margin to 5-0. UWF scored all of its runs off Joyner (2-2), who suffered the loss, with two outs. Lopez and Dinesen combined for four of the Argos' seven hits and accounted for three of the team's four RBIs in the game.
"Robert was seeing the ball well, and he was putting good barrel on the ball, and I think Mason did the same thing," said Jeffcoat.
Inclement weather continues to be a factor in the series. The teams were able to play just a single game Sunday but will close the series with a doubleheader tomorrow starting at 1:00 p.m.
"With the weather, we talked about not letting the wet field or any of those conditions come into play as an excuse," said Jeffcoat. "Somebody's going to take a win, somebody's going to take a loss. We've got to get our mind right and be focused. They did that tonight, and we've got to come out there tomorrow with the same kind of purpose."
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