Seniors close out UNF careers

Friday, May 18

Jacksonville, Fla.

1:00 PM

University of North Florida

24-31, 13-13

GARDNER-WEBB

24-30, 11-15

Gardner-Webb

North Florida

5/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

May 18, 2007

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

SENIOR DAY PHOTO GALLERY

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida baseball team ended its season on a bittersweet note on Friday with a doubleheader split against Gardner-Webb at Harmon Stadium.

UNF (24-32, 13-14 Atlantic Sun Conference) said goodbye to seniors Derek Bell, James Belyea, Jon Dandridge, Brandon Diaz, Jimmy Glanville, Brad Johnson, Damon Olinto, Renzo Sheppard, Andrew Stilley and Dicarlo Thompson at the beginning of the day in a pre-game ceremony. Bell (4-2) put an exclamation mark on his career, leading the Ospreys to a 4-2 win in game one. He struck out six in seven innings and allowed just two runs on five hits.

Redshirt freshman Tucker Pryor had his best outing of the season in UNF's 6-4 loss to GWU in game two, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings of relief and allowing just five hits while striking out two. Sophomore Tyler Stohr picked up his sixth save of the season in the first game after shutting down the Bulldogs in order in the top of the ninth.

Junior Mike Smith had the best showing of any Osprey at the plate, going 4-for-8 and scoring twice. Freshman TJ Thompson went 3-for-4 with an RBI, run scored and a double. Freshman Preston Hale drove in two runs.

The Ospreys got off to a quick start in game one, scoring two runs in the first inning on Hale's two RBI single that drove in sophomore Brian Wilson and Thompson. UNF added another run in the second when Wilson drove in Smith on an RBI sacrifice fly.

After Gardner-Webb scored a run in the top of the third, Thompson answered back with an RBI double that drove junior Chad Knight across the plate to give the Ospreys a 4-1 lead. The Bulldogs put another run across in the top of the seventh, but redshirt freshman Jonathan Turner and Stohr combined to close the game out and wrap the win for Bell.

GWU's Josh Drewery seemed to have the UNF hitters solved in the game two, holding the Ospreys to two runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. UNF stayed even with GWU in the early going, tying the score at one in the bottom of the second when junior Travis Martin blasted an RBI single that Glanville around to score.

But a five-run third inning fueled by a costly error helped the Bulldogs take an insurmountable 6-1 lead. They were able to get freshman John Atteo (6-4) pulled from the game after lasting just 2.2 innings. Atteo allowed six runs, but only one was earned.

The Ospreys put together one last rally in the bottom of the eighth with two runs. Dandridge recorded his last career RBI on a single to left that allowed junior Andy Warren to score. Glanville also recorded his final RBI as an Osprey in the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly that sent Olinto in to score.

UNF tried to keep it going in the bottom of the ninth by leading off the inning with consecutive singles from Hale and Martin. But GWU's Matt Taffazoli was able to stop UNF's momentum and get the final three outs.

With UNF's win in game one, the Ospreys would have qualified for the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament, clinching the final seed at No. 6 in the conference. The Ospreys will be eligible in 2010.