University of North Florida
Troy
Ospreys return for two against Troy
3/9/2009 3:43:05 PM | Baseball
Games set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of North Florida baseball team will return home on Tuesday for a two-game non-conference series with Troy.
UNF will take on the Trojans at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday in the team's first two-game midweek series of the season. It will be a rematch of last year's contest, which went the way of Troy in an 11-10, 11-inning decision that took place in Troy, Ala. Sophomore Paul Morales led UNF with three hits and a home run in that game.
The Ospreys are coming off a tough series loss to cross-town rival Jacksonville over the weekend. UNF took game one of the series, 4-2, on the solid pitching of RHPs Phil Rorabaugh and Tucker Pryor, who combined to strikeout six Dolphins. Pryor earned the win in relief, working 3.1 innings and allowing just one hit. Sophomore Michael Smith had the game-winning hit with an RBI single up the middle in the seventh inning.
Despite the promising start, UNF left 26 runners on base in the next two games and dropped the next two decisions, 4-3, and 8-7. The Ospreys had a near- heroic comeback in Sunday's game against JU, scoring five runs in the seventh, which was highlighted with a three-run home run by Kevin Martin, which helped the Ospreys pull to within one.
Troy went 1-2 over the weekend against Florida International in the team's Sun Belt Conference opening series. The Trojans are batting .305 as a team and have two players hitting better than .400. Ryan Ditthardt leads Troy with a .412 batting average, five home runs, 17 RBI and 11 runs scored.
What: Baseball vs. Troy
When: Tuesday and Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Harmon Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for UNF faculty/staff, $3 for youth (13-17), $3 for senior citizens (65+), $3 for Osprey Club members, free for ages 12 and under
Live Video: Click here
Radio: WBOB-AM 1320 in Jacksonville
Live Stats: Click here
UNF's Record: 5-8, 1-2 Atlantic Sun Conference
Troy's Record: 8-4, 1-2 Sun Belt Conference
Probable Pitching Matchups: Tuesday: UNF - LHP Michael Kelly (0-0, 5.68 ERA, 6 K) vs. Troy - RHP Tim Wheeler (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP); Wednesday: UNF TBA - vs. Troy - RHP Robby Loew (1-0, 4.70 ERA, 6 K)
Series History: Troy leads, 2-0
Last Result: Troy won, 11-10, in 11 innings on March 19, 2008, in Troy, Ala.
Who's Hot: Sophomore Sam Perry lit it up last week, hitting .455 (5-for-11) with two doubles in four games. Perry came into last week hitting just .091 and is now hitting .212 for the season.
Junior Preston Hale hit .471 (8-for-17) with three runs scored and a double last week. He currently leads the team with nine multiple-hit games. He tied his career high of four hits against JU on Sunday.
Notables: The Ospreys are 1-4 this season at Harmon Stadium despite hitting .353 at home ... the key difference has been the 18 errors UNF has committed at home this season ... UNF is 2- 3 in night games overall this season ... five of UNF's losses have come by two runs or less ... the Ospreys have hit at least one home run in seven of their last eight games ... after having a streak of nine consecutive games with at least one error, UNF has recorded three-straight errorless games ... the Ospreys have won their last two non-conference games ... UNF is recording an average of 10 hits and four walks per game ... the Ospreys are hitting .457 as a team in leadoff situations.
