University of North Florida
FLA INST TECH
UNF can't catch Panthers
4/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 12, 2005
MELBOURNE, Fla. - The University of North Florida baseball team gave up six runs in the first three innings of play and never rebounded in a 7-2 loss at Florida Tech on Tuesday in Melbourne, Fla.
Jeremy Papelbon (2-2) was touched for three runs in the first inning and three more in the third, while the UNF offense scored one run in that time frame and bailed Panther starter Mike McFadden (3-1) out of a pair of innings by grounding into double plays.
FIT (25-18) got the scoring started early when three of the first four batters in the lineup reached and scored in the bottom of the first. Bubba DiFabio drove home the first run of the game with a single up the middle that scored Steve Condotta. Steve Baksh made it a 2-0 game when he scored on a Papelbon wild pith and DiFabio completed the scoring when he crossed the plate on a Randy Pitts base hit to left.
UNF (29-11) made it a 3-1 game thanks to some heads up base running by Marion Knowles in the top of the second. After Josh Howard found himself in a rundown between first and second, Knowles scampered home from third before Howard was tagged for the third out.
The top of the order struck again for the Panthers in the third when the same three players that scored in the first came around to score again in the third.
Condotta reached on a leadoff single, then moved to third when Baksh and DiFabio followed with walks. Brendan Twomey drove home Condotta before Eammon Powers reached on a bases-loaded walk and Paul Stone followed him with a sacrifice fly that scored DiFabio.
That inning signaled the end of the day for Papelbon, who gave up six earned runs on five hits with four walks and a strikeout.
Tony Polster and Brooks West finished out on the mound for UNF, only allowing one run - which was charged to Polster - in a combined five innings of work.
McFadden had his own control problems to deal with, walking six Ospreys on the day. The UNF offense, however, left five runners on the basepaths, three of which were in scoring position.
Brennan Grogan, Sadry Café, Judd Loveland and Mike Fryrear collected UNF's only hits on the day.
Jon Skorupski scored UNF's second run of the game in the seventh inning when he reached on a fielder's choice, moved to third on a Café double and scored on a McFadden balk.
The Ospreys are back in Peach Belt Conference action over the weekend when they travel to USC Upstate for a pair of games on Saturday, followed by a single game on Sunday.
