Box Score
MACON, Ga. - When it came down to it, the University of North Florida baseball team simply wanted it more than Mercer on Sunday.
UNF (20-16, 11-10 Atlantic Sun Conference) came out on top of see-saw battle that had five lead changes and won 9-8. The teams used a combined nine pitchers, with the Ospreys throwing five.
With chances running out for the Ospreys in a crucial rubber match, freshman third baseman Sam Perry took the reins in the top of the ninth with UNF trailing 8-7. After senior center fielder T.J. Gaudy was intentionally walked to load the bases, Perry ripped a two-run single down the right field line to bring freshman Robbie Collier and sophomore Andrew Hannon in to score and put UNF up for good.
Junior RHP John Frawley went the last 1.1 innings for the Ospreys and didn't allow a hit to pick up his first victory of the season. Frawley lifted UNF out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth when he got Mercer's Tyler Brown to ground out to second.
Mercer (15-22, 10-11) got on the board first for the third-straight game in the series when it put up three in the bottom of the third. The Ospreys answered in the top of the fourth when sophomore right fielder Preston Hale crushed an RBI double to left center, driving in senior shortstop Chad Knight.
Hale put up another bomb in the top of the sixth when he led off with a solo home run. Senior first baseman Andy Warren tacked on another run with his RBI single up the middle that allowed senior designated hitter Travis Martin to score. Gaudy gave UNF a 4-3 lead when his sacrifice fly to left field allowed Hannon to cross the plate.
The Bears made sure the lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the sixth, UNF sophomore starting LHP John Atteo hung a curve for Mercer's Billy Shaughnessy, whose fly ball carried over the left field fence to tie the game at four.
Mercer got another long ball in the bottom of the seventh, this time of the two-run variety when Mike Armstrong hit a round-tripper off UNF RHP Phil Rorabaugh, giving the Bears a 6-4 lead.
The Ospreys charged up the emotional rollercoaster in the top of the eighth when they scored three more runs to take a 7-6 advantage. UNF filled up the bases, which set the table for sophomore second baseman T.J. Thompson to drive in a run with an RBI groundout. In the next at bat, Knight slipped a single through the right side hole to drive in sophomore catcher Ryan Lowe and Perry.
But Mercer refused to go quietly and scored two more off junior RHP Tyler Stohr to recapture the lead at 8-7.
UNF won its fourth consecutive conference series. Both Knight and Warren extended their hitting streaks to 10 games. Hale has now hit safely in his last nine games. The Ospreys improved to 10-4 in A-Sun games when collecting at least 10 hits.
The Ospreys will return to action at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against UCF at Harmon Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on WBOB-AM 1320 in Jacksonville and will be aired live and on-demand on ASUN.TV.
