March 9, 2007
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida baseball team hung tough with Ohio State for 10 innings on Friday night, but the Buckeyes were able to edge the Ospreys 3-2 in 11 innings in the 2007 Kennel Club Classic at Harmon Stadium in a classic gut-wrenching battle.
UNF (7-10) managed six hits on the night compared to OSU's 15, but the Ospreys stayed in it with exceptional defense. Senior left fielder Damon Olinto and senior right fielder Jon Dandridge both threw runners out at the plate in the ninth and 10th that prevented OSU from scoring the go-ahead run.
The extra-inning battle matched perfectly with the night's theme, Military Night, where all of the nation's greatest heroes were honored. Iraq War veteran Corporal Ben Pidgeon of the U.S. Marine Corps threw out the first pitch, and UNF wore special camouflage jerseys and alternate hats.
Senior first baseman Jimmy Glanville got the Ospreys on the board first with an RBI single through the left side that drove in senior shortstop Chad Knight to give UNF a 1-0 lead after the bottom of the first inning. OSU answered back in the top of the second on a bases-loaded walk to knot the score at one.
UNF fired back in the bottom of the inning with Knight's sacrifice fly to left field that drove in Dandridge to put the Ospreys up 2-1. After that, UNF's bats vanished, as the team managed just two hits the rest of the game.
Senior starting LHP Brad Johnson was solid on the mound, going 6.2 innings and allowing two runs on eights with six strikeouts. He ran into a bit of trouble in the top of the seventh, allowing the Buckeyes to tie the game at two with an RBI single.
It became a war of attrition from the seventh inning on with both teams shutting each other down with stellar defense. Sophomore RHP Antonio Franzese was able to shut OSU down in his relief of Johnson, going 1.2 innings and giving up two hits while striking out one.
The Buckeyes (4-3) finally broke through in the top of the 11th on a two-out, bases-loaded freak single that gave them the 3-2 lead. OSU's Eric Fryer got jammed on the pitch from sophomore RHP Tyler Stohr, and the ball dribbled in front of the plate. Senior catcher James Belyea went after the ball, but it left home plate open and allowed OSU to score the go-ahead run.
UNF put itself in position to win it in the bottom of the 11th, as the winning run was in scoring position with two outs. Glanville led off the inning with a single, then sophomore center fielder Brian Wilson singled. A wild pitch allowed Glanville and Wilson to advance to second and third base to give freshman Andrew Hannon a shot to seal the win. But Hannon's ball hung up a bit too long and was caught by the center fielder to end the game.
Stohr (0-4) picked up the tough loss after throwing 2.2 innings and allowing one run on five hits. Glanville finished 2-for-5 with an RBI. The loss snapped UNF's five-game winning streak.
The Ospreys will try to get back on track at 1 p.m. tomorrow against Connecticut at Harmon Stadium. Live stats and audio can be accessed on UNFOspreys.com.
