DELAND, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team struck first in Sunday's Atlantic Sun Conference series-deciding game at Stetson, but it was the home Hatters that had the final say, winning the series with a 10-8 final score Sunday on Melching Field at Conrad Park after the Ospreys left 16 runners stranded.
UNF (19-26, 12-12 A-Sun) scored the first and last runs of the contest, plating one in the top of the first inning and crossing two in the top of the ninth. However, Stetson (23-25, 12-12) answered with six in the bottom of the opening frame and carried a 10-6 lead into the ninth inning.
The Ospreys chalked runs in five different innings while the Hatters scored in three separate frames. In the first inning, Stetson sent 12 batters to the plate and picked up almost half of their 15 total hits with seven. UNF starter junior John Atteo (1-4) picked up the loss after tossing only a third of an inning and allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits. Junior Tucker Pryor got UNF out of the jam, leaving the bases full. Junior Brian Wilson tallied one of his three RBIs on the day in the second inning before sophomore Sam Perry scored one of his four runs to cut the Hatter lead to 6-3. A single fifth-inning run on a junior Michael Smith single cut Stetson's lead to just two runs. The home team doubled its edge in the sixth inning when Casey Frawley doubled down the left field line off UNF reliever Robbie Collier. Collier entered for Pryor whose day was cut short by an unknown injury just before throwing the first pitch of the third inning. With sophomore Paul Morales toeing the rubber for the Ospreys for only the second time this season, two more runs came across the plate for the Hatters in the seventh inning. Jacob DeGrom supplied the two-RBI single to right field, and senior Spencer Jones took over for Morales. A quiet eighth inning came and went before the Ospreys applied some pressure in the ninth. Perry led off with a base on balls and Wilson crushed a Nick Bohne pitch to straight away center field, clearing the wall in the deepest part of the ball park to make the score 10-8 with no outs. After Smith grounded out, junior Preston Hale reached on a single and junior TJ Thompson singled to left field, UNF was threatening with two runners on and only one out. The Hatters turned the ball over to David Burns who buckled down to earn his third save of the season. Junior Justin Preckajlo flied out to center field, and both runners were forced to stay put. Burns then finished the game by striking out junior Kevin Martin. A total of seven arms were used by Stetson, and UNF tried five hurlers. Pryor had three strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched, and Collier and Jones each had one. Stetson's pitchers combined for nine free passes to first base and just four strikeouts.
Smith racked up three of UNF's 13 base knocks in the ball game and had two RBIs and a run scored. Sophomore Kyle Dahl earned the start behind the plate, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. UNF dropped only its second conference series in its last six tries. The Ospreys will step out of league play for a game at Bethune-Cookman Tuesday and a home game against South Florida Wednesday before playing its final road A-Sun series at USC Upstate next weekend.
