Box Score April 16, 2006
Box Score
LAS CRUCES, NM - Brandon Diaz hit two home runs and had a career-high 5-for- 6 performance at the plate to lead North Florida to a 17-8 victory over New Mexico State on Sunday afternoon at Presley Askew Field. The UNF catcher added two doubles to his pair of homers and finished with a career-best six RBIs. UNF (21-19) pounded out a season-high 19 hits in the game.
Brad Johnson (5-1) struck out six New Mexico State batters through the first three innings and ended with seven punch-outs on the afternoon to earn the win. The southpaw tossed five-plus innings, but the Aggies broke through with two runs in the fourth and added five runs in the sixth off of the Tampa native before he turned things over to Josh Papelbon. The submarine-style hurler worked the final four innings and gave up just one run to earn his sixth save of the season.
UNF roughed up starter Dillion Smith (3-5) for nine hits and seven runs in just two innings to hand him the loss. The Aggies (14-26) used eight different pitchers on the afternoon as they have now lost 18 out of their last 22 games.
The Ospreys jumped on the board with three runs in the top of the second inning. Diaz started the rally with a double through the left side and scored on a double down the left field line by Andy Warren. Jon Dandridge dropped in a base hit in shallow left center that sent Warren across the plate and Matt Oxendine brought Dandridge home with an RBI single.
UNF used five doubles and a single to add five runs in the third. Jimmy Glanville led off with a double to left field and scored on a single up the middle by James Belyea. Jonathan Hodach sent Belyea home from first base with a double down the third base line. Diaz followed with his second two-bagger of the game to left field to plate Hodach. Dandridge tallied his second RBI of the game with a double off of the wall in left center and Oxendine traded places with Dandridge with a two-bagger down the left field line to make the score 8-0 in favor of the Ospreys.
Diaz tallied his second RBI of the game and Grant Rogers had a sacrifice fly to center field in the fourth inning to extend the Ospreys' lead to 10-0. The Aggies plated two runs in the bottom of the inning as Brandon Lance and Patrick Fields each had run producing hits. UNF scored two unearned runs in the fifth inning to go back on top by 10 at 12-2.
The Aggies got back into the game with a five-run sixth that featured a pair of two-run homers by Derek Maytubby and Adam Harvey. NMSU added another run in the seventh inning as Harvey hit a two-out RBI single to cut into the Ospreys' advantage.
Diaz answered with a solo home run in the eighth and a three-run shot in the ninth, and Hodach added an RBI single to put the game out of reach for the Aggies. Hodach finished 4-for-6 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored. Oxendine had three hits and two RBIs, while Glanville, Dandridge, and Belyea each had two hits for the Ospreys.
Jacob Dixon will make his first start since March 14 when the Ospreys welcome Florida A&M to Harmon Stadium on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. Tuesday's game was originally scheduled for a doubleheader, but the Ospreys and Rattlers will play the second game of their two-game set on Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m.
