University of North Florida
FLA INST TECH
UNF Falls for First Time in '05
2/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BOX SCORE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 9, 2005) - For the first time this season the University of North Florida's bullpen failed to deliver, letting a lead slip away in a 9-8 loss to Florida Tech.
The loss was the first of the season for UNF (4-1), while FIT evened its record at 4-4.
Normally a starter, Jacob Dixon (1-1) came out of the bullpen for some midweek work and was touched for six runs, three of which were earned, and the loss.
The Panthers scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 9-7 lead and relied on the right arm of Mike Succio the rest of the way. Succio (1-1) contained the Ospreys for five innings to earn the win, not allowing a run until the ninth inning.
Devin Hopkins broke the game open for FIT with a three run home run in the sixth. Anthony Mendillo completed the scoring in the sixth with a squeeze bunt that drove home Jonathan Baksh.
The heart of the Panthers order; Bubba DiFabio, Hopkins and Baksh combined for six hits and drove home four of FIT's nine runs.
UNF threatened in the bottom of the ninth after Matt Oxendine led off the frame with a double to left. He scored on a Marion Knowles two-out base hit, but UNF couldn't do any further damage.
Knowles led the Ospreys with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, which included three RBIs and a home run. Oxendine was also 3-for-5 with a couple of runs scored.
Oxendine got the scoring started for the Ospreys in the second, reaching on a one out single before coming home on a Knowles sacrifice fly. UNF added two more runs to that total in the third to counter a pair of Florida Tech runs in the top of the inning.
Florida Tech tied the game with two runs in the top of the fifth, but UNF quickly answered when Sadry Café led off the bottom of the inning with a home run. UNF added one more to that total, chasing starter Mike McFadden from the game. Succio came on in relief to get out of a bases loaded jam and keep the Panthers in the contest.
The Ospreys committed six errors on the afternoon, while Florida Tech committed three.
UNF opens conference play this weekend when it travels to UNC Pembroke for a pair of games on Saturday before closing out the series with a single game on Sunday.
