Ospreys put up furious rally

Wednesday, February 25

Jacksonville, Fla.

7 p.m.

University of North Florida

2-3

Michigan

5-0

Michigan

North Florida

Sophomore Michael Smith went 2-for-4 with two runs scored on Wednesday.

2/25/2009 11:35:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

UNF pounds out season-high 14 hits

By: Eric Scott, UNF Athletics

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Despite an inspiring charge at the end and an exciting beginning, the University of North Florida baseball team came up just short in its rally against No. 28 Michigan on Wednesday at Harmon Stadium, falling 9-8.

Five Ospreys notched multiple hit games, led by jredshirt sophomore Sam Testa's breakout 3-for-5 performance. Redshirt freshman Andrew Karmeris led the team in RBIs with two. UNF blasted out a season-high five doubles. Junior Preston Hale and senior Brian Wilson had two doubles each.

UNF (2-3) struck the first blow, putting up two runs in the bottom of the first. Hale got things started when drove in sophomore Michael Smith with an RBI single through the left side of the infield.

After a single from junior TJ Thompson, junior Ryan Puskar hit a deep fly ball to center that drove in Hale for a sacrifice fly. Thompson recorded another sacrifice fly for the Ospreys in the bottom of the third to drive in Smith, extending UNF's lead to 3-0.

Sophomore RHP George Lott (0-1) cruised through the first three innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four. But with two outs in the top of the fourth, he ran into some trouble when he walked three straight batters to help the Wolverines cut the lead to 3-2. After sophomore LHP Robbie Collier relieved Lott, Michigan put up four more runs on two hits to go up 6-3.

The Wolverines extended its lead to 8-3 in the top of the fifth when Jake McClouth hit a solo home run to lead off the inning, followed by Chris Berset's two-run homer one at-bat later.

Just when it looked like Michigan's game to run away with, UNF charged back with four runs in the seventh. Hale began the inning by reaching on an error by Michigan first baseman Mike Dufek, followed by a Thompson walk. Moments later, Testa crushed an RBI single up the middle to bring Hale in to score.

Karmeris kept the rally alive when he sliced a single through the right side of the infield to drive in Testa and Puskar. Wilson later walked to load the bases, and Smith was able to bring in another run when he was hit by the pitch from Michigan's Tyler Burgoon, who came on in relief of Matt Miller.

But the gas ran out of the tank for the Ospreys in the eighth and ninth when Burgoon allowed just one hit and closed out the win for the Wolverines and picked up the save. The Wolverines' Mike Wilson picked up the win, who tossed 3.1 innings of relief.

It was the fourth time this season UNF scored at least six runs. The Ospreys also tallied a season-high 14 hits. Senior RHP Spencer Jones had a solid outing in relief, not allowing a hit in 3.0 innings of work to go along with three strikeouts.

UNF will return to action at 7 p.m. on Friday when it takes on Ohio State at Harmon Stadium in the second game of the 2009 Kennel Club Classic. George Mason and Connecticut kick off the tournament at 4 p.m.