Feb. 25, 2007
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida baseball team took a five-run lead going into the top of the ninth on Sunday against Towson, but it still wasn't enough as the Ospreys ended up with an 11-10 loss to the Tigers at Harmon Stadium.
UNF (2-8) pitching combined to allow five runs on three hits, walk three and hit three batters in the top of the ninth. The Tigers began the inning by loading the bases against sophomore RHP Mike Gottlieb, then shelled senior RHP Dicarlo Thompson for three runs.
Sophomore RHP Antonio Franzese wasn't able to do any better, allowing the winning run in picking up the loss. It looked as if he would just barely get the Ospreys out of it when he got Towson's Nick Natoli to ground into a double play, but his wild pitch allowed the winning run to score. Moments later, Towson's Aaron Gabrielian hit what proved to be a game-winning RBI double.
UNF had proved all game they had the guns to make the comeback, but the bottom of the ninth wasn't to be, as the Ospreys went down in order to close out the Tigers win.
The Ospreys jumped out way ahead in the middle innings, busting out for four runs in the third, three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Towson (1-5) began its comeback in the seventh and eighth innings, combining for three runs to cut the UNF lead to 9-5.
In the bottom of the eighth, redshirt freshman first baseman Kevin Martin hit a home run in his first-ever collegiate at-bat to extend the Ospreys' lead to 10-5.
Sophomore center fielder Brian Wilson made his season debut after returning from an injury and made a big impact, finishing 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored. Senior right fielder Jon Dandridge continued his solid streak of consistency, going 2-for-3 with a home run, an RBI and one run scored.
Freshman John Atteo had another outing where he put his team in position to win the game, but his first win of the season eluded him again. Atteo went five innings and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out four in the no-decision. The bullpen was the Achilles' heel for UNF, allowing nine runs on nine hits, walking seven and hitting four batters.
The Ospreys will attempt to get back on the winning track at 4 p.m. on Tuesday in Tallahassee, Fla., against in-state heavyweight Florida State, who is ranked as high as No. 2 in polls. Live stats and audio will be available on UNFOspreys.com.
