University of North Florida
Flagler
UNF takes road win vs. Flagler, 7-4
2/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2005) - North Florida pitcher Tony Polster pitched seven strong innings, and designated hitter Brennan Grogan collected three hits and drove in two runs, to help UNF snap a four-game losing streak and defeat Flagler, 7-4, on Wednesday night at Flagler Stadium.
The 21st-ranked Ospreys (5-4) jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first two innings with RBIs from Grogan and leadoff hitter Josh Howard, and then added to a 3-2 lead with three more runs in the sixth - keyed by RBI singles from the same two players. The Saints (10-6) cut their deficit to 7-4 in the eighth on a two-run home run by Randy Miller off Polster but could never get closer.
The win avenged a two-game sweep by the Saints against UNF last season.
"We got some key hits in key situations," UNF head coach Dusty Rhodes said. "Polster pitched pretty well, too. We scored some runs early, which helped a lot. We just need to keep getting better and head into our next conference series intent on playing better than we have been lately."
Josh Papelbon recorded his second save, pitching the final two innings, to preserve the win.
Polster (2-0) allowed eight hits and two earned runs in seven innings while striking out eight and walking none. Tim Jacobs (2-2) suffered the loss, allowing three runs in the first two innings. Four Flagler pitchers combined to hold UNF hitters to six hits, but the Ospreys' top two hitters - Howard and Grogan - were a combined 4-for-6 with four runs scored and four RBIs.
Preston Picard was 3-for-4 for Flagler, while Todd Lietz was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
UNF returns to action this weekend when it travels to Milledgeville, Ga., for a Peach Belt series with 18th-ranked Georgia College & State. The Ospreys will play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., with the series finale scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. None of the games will be carried on the UNF Radio Network.
