May 18, 2007
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Nothing cooperated for the University of North Florida baseball team on Thursday night in a 6-4 loss to Gardner-Webb at Harmon Stadium.
The weather was against the Ospreys, their bats were against them and their gloves didn't work properly. UNF (23-31, 12-13 Atlantic Sun Conference) managed just six hits and committed two errors in a game that started an hour and a half late due to rain. Despite getting home runs from senior Jon Dandridge, junior Chad Knight and freshman Preston Hale, the rest of the lineup wasn't able to put together a consistent attack.
The Bulldogs (24-29, 11-14) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after giving UNF starting LHP Brad Johnson a bit of trouble when their first two hitters were able to reach base. But the Ospreys responded in the bottom of the second to tie the score. Dandridge led off the inning with a towering opposite field home run to left center. Later in the inning, junior Travis Martin drove in senior Jimmy Glanville on a double down the right field line.
Freshman Preston Hale put UNF up 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth when he roped a solo blast just inside the right field foul pole with two outs. But trouble lurked around the corner for the Ospreys in the top of the fifth when GWU put across four runs to take a 6-3 lead. The Bulldogs were able to change the course of the game in one swing when Daniel Cooke hit a grand slam off Johnson.
Knight got something going with two outs in the bottom of the seventh when his solo round-tripper cut the Bulldogs' lead to 6-4. The rest of the Ospreys weren't able to follow Knight's lead however, managing just one hit in the last two innings.
Johnson fell to 4-7 after going four innings and allowing five earned runs on four hits along with six strikeouts. Sophomore RHP Antonio Franzese had a solid relief effort, shutting out GWU in four innings and allowing four hits while striking out three, which all came in the top of the sixth. Sophomore RHP Tyler Stohr came in for a scoreless inning of relief and sat down two Bulldogs on strikes.
Dandridge finished 2-for-4. It was his 22nd multiple hit game of the season. UNF snapped its string of nine consecutive games with at least 10 hits. GWU picked up its first-ever series win over the Ospreys in six tries.
The Ospreys will hope to reverse their fortunes tomorrow and finish the season strong in a doubleheader set to begin at 1 p.m. in the season's final games. UNF seniors Derek Bell, James Belyea, Dandridge, Brandon Diaz, Johnson, Glanville, Damon Olinto, Renzo Sheppard, Andrew Stilley and Dicarlo Thompson will be honored before the first game as part of Senior Day. Live stats and audio will be available on UNFOspreys.com.
