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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Junior Preston Hale smashed his 10th homer of the season and added two doubles to lead the University of North Florida to a season-ending 7-4 win against Kennesaw State Friday afternoon in game two of an Atlantic Sun doubleheader after the Owls took the first game, 8-3. Hale finished with two RBIs in each game while also doubling in game one. With the game-two win, UNF finished with a 15-15 Atlantic Sun Conference record and a 23-31 overall mark.
The Ospreys had to battle back in the second game after roaring to an early lead in game one. The Owls (30-22, 20-9 A-Sun) posted three runs in the first inning of game two and added another in the second inning. After senior Brian Wilson drove in freshman Steven Hillan for UNF's first run of game two, Hale blasted a Justin Edwards pitch over the right field wall to narrow the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning, and the Ospreys went on top for good in the fifth. Sophomore Michael Smith crossed the plate as the tying run when Hale doubled to center field in the fifth frame. Sophomore Paul Morales then doubled down the right field line to plate Hale and give the Ospreys a 5-4 edge. UNF added single insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings. After allowing four runs through two innings, junior Michael Kelly (2-3) settled down to toss 6.1 innings and earn the win. He gave up nine hits and three earned runs, striking out two and walking one. Sophomore Robbie Collier picked his first save of the season, tossing 2.2 hitless innings and striking out three. One error accounted for the only runner to get aboard while Collier toed the mound. In game one, UNF held a 3-0 lead heading into the fifth inning after Wilson singled to plate one and Hale hit a two-RBI double in the third inning. KSU used two fifth inning runs and a sixth inning run to knot the score at 3-3 before grabbing the lead in the seventh.
Three singles loaded the bags for the Owls, and Jacob Robbins cleared them with a triple down the right field line. The visitors left the inning with a 6-3 lead and never looked back. Chad Jenkins (8-1) earned the win by striking out 10 in his complete-game performance. He allowed two earned runs and seven hits with two walked batters.
Finishing the day 5-for-9 with four RBIs, three doubles and a home run, Hale finished the season as UNF's leader in doubles (17) and homers (tied with junior Kevin Martin). The game-two loss knocked KSU out of contention for the A-Sun regular season title. The Owls needed a sweep against UNF and a Stetson sweep over Florida Gulf Coast. Both UNF and Kennesaw State will begin the 2010 season as unrestricted Division I programs, making the storied rivals eligible for full postseason play.
KSU is UNF's oldest rival with the first meeting dating back to UNF's inaugural season (1988). The two have now met 57 times, and the Ospreys hold a 32-25 all-time advantage.
