Feb. 11, 2007
Box Score
CONWAY, S.C. - The University of North Florida baseball team still wasn't able to find a groove at the plate on day three of the Springmaid Beach Resort Tournament, losing to Elon 7-1 on Sunday.
UNF (0-3) managed six hits and left six on base. The Ospreys were 2-for-13 with runners on.
The Ospreys lost their third straight at the tournament after falling to Coastal Carolina 8-1 on Friday and losing 10-1 to No. 8 Virginia on Saturday. UNF averaged six hits per game and tallied only two extra base hits. Senior catcher James Belyea had the best performance of any starter, finishing 5-for-8 with a double in two games. Belyea went 2-for-4 on Sunday against Elon.
North Florida looked to be in control against the Phoenix (1-2) in the early going, as freshman starting RHP John Atteo looked like a seasoned veteran on the mound, holding Elon scoreless through four innings and striking out four. The top of the third inning seemed to be a shift of momentum in favor of the Ospreys, as junior T.J. Gaudy hammered a one-out home run to left field to give UNF its first lead of the season at 1-0.
The Ospreys kept the pressure on when senior second baseman Chad Knight and redshirt freshman shortstop Mycal Jones hit back-to-back singles. After Jones was forced out at second and senior outfielder Damon Olinto reached on a fielder's choice, senior first baseman Jimmy Glanville came up to the plate with two on. He was able to run the count to two-and-two, but struck out swinging on a nasty breaking ball.
But Atteo ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth, as three straight singles by the Phoenix loaded the bases with no outs. Elon's Drew Davis flied out to center field in the next at-bat, but it was deep enough for a sacrifice fly that tied the score at 1-1. The Phoenix didn't let up, as they scored three more off Atteo and knocked him out of the game. Redshirt freshman RHP Jonathan Turner came on in relief but wasn't able to stop the swelling, lasting just one-third of an inning and allowing one run on three hits.
Senior RHP Dicarlo Thompson entered the game with two outs and was able to get the Ospreys out of a troublesome inning in which UNF allowed five runs on six hits. Thompson ran into difficulty in the next inning, as he walked the leadoff hitter and allowed him to get into scoring position after a wild pitch. Redshirt freshman RHP Tucker Pryor made his collegiate debut in a situation that was anything but pressure-free. But Pryor responded well, striking out the first batter he faced. However, he did have to battle a jam the rest of the inning. Davis hit another sacrifice fly that allowed Thompson's runner to score. The Phoenix scored another run on an RBI single by Jordy Snyder, putting them up by the final score.
Despite the early struggles, Pryor recovered to finish with five strikeouts in three innings of work and allowed one run on one hit. After the third inning breakthrough, UNF wasn't able to keep itself in the game at the plate, collecting just one hit until the top of the ninth.
Glanville led off the inning and reached base after he was hit by the pitch, then advanced to second after wild pitch. Belyea hit a one-out flare single left field, but it wasn't deep enough to score Glanville from second. The Ospreys seemed primed to spark a rally, but freshmen Paul Morales and Preston Hale ended the game on strikeouts.
North Florida will look to turn things around at 4 p.m. on Wednesday when they host Georgia Southern at Harmon Stadium in the home opener. GSU (3-2) just completed a two-game sweep of No. 10 Georgia Tech this weekend. The game will be broadcast on 1010 AM WIOJ in Jacksonville and can be accessed on UNFOspreys.com.
