UNF ASun Tournament Blog: Day 3
5/27/2010 2:09:39 AM | Baseball
DAY THREE:
Props to the ASUN.TV coverage on Wednesday. It looked great. I was told that six cameras were used during the games.
Top-seed
We left for Dugan Field at 4:30 p.m. The team took batting practice just after 5 p.m. Following JU's 10-1 loss to Mercer, the Ospreys and the Bucs took the field.
We were supposed to start the game at 7 p.m. but it got pushed back 15 minutes. However, after we took infield, the skies began to darken and lightning struck in the area. The fans were asked to evacuate the stadium. As soon as the stadium crew put the tarp on the field, the rains and heavy wind came. It didn't last long, but we were delayed for another hour and 15 minutes.
The first pitch was approximately 8:30 p.m. After each team went in order in the first, the Bucs struck first with an unearned run in the second. They would add single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings, along with three big runs in the fifth and another run in the sixth. Senior Preston Hale kept the Ospreys in the game with two home runs.
You couldn't have asked for a more dramatic finish with UNF down two runs in the ninth. Trailing 7-5, the Ospreys loaded the bases with one out. After second team Atlantic Sun selection Justin Preckajlo struck out, that brought up Hale. But the first team ASUN selection was caught looking to end the game and the Ospreys lost the game, putting UNF in a must-win situation on Thursday against the nationally-ranked Eagles.
After the game, Head Coach Dusty Rhodes told the team that they were going to have to face and beat the Eagles sooner or later in the tournament. It's all up to junior pitcher George Lott now if the Ospreys are to live for another day.
The Ospreys are not out of this thing yet, but they'll have to fight their way through the losers' bracket. If they can take care of business on Thursday, they may have a chance to get to Saturday. We'll have to take it one game at a time, but in a conference tournament anything can happen.
Go Ospreys!
