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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team opened the 2010 season at home with a 4-2 loss to No. 14 Ohio State at Harmon Stadium. The Buckeyes fended off a late rally by the Ospreys to claim the victory.
Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, North Florida received a one-out single from senior T.J. Thompson to get things started. Sophomore Andrew Karmeris singled up the middle to give the Ospreys a pair of base runners. Junior Kyle Dahl reached on a fielder's choice but an errant throw by Ohio State allowed Thompson to score from second and Karmeris advance to third base. Senior Justin Preckajlo recorded an RBI ground out to cut the deficit to 4-2, but with two outs and a runner on second, the Buckeyes finished the game with a strikeout.
“You want to have better than a decent showing against a team like this,” head coach Dusty Rhodes remarked after the game. “I thought if we could hold them to two runs we would be able to score. Their pitcher is a really good pitcher. He is going to be a high draft pick. We probably won't see a pitcher like him for a while because he is that good. I am disappointed because we really didn't show any offense. We had opportunities to score but we just didn't do it. They made some mistakes and we made some mistakes. Hopefully tomorrow, we can come back and do it better.”
The Ospreys pitching was solid on the night allowing four runs on 10 hits. Senior Michael Kelly (0-1) took the loss. He worked 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Junior George Lott worked 2.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts to his credit. Senior Kris Linster and freshman Kyle Westwood each recorded strikeouts in the game with no walks.
Offensively, UNF managed just four hits. Karmeris led all Ospreys with two hits, while Thompson and junior Andrew Hannon each had a hit.
All-American Alex Wimmers picked up the win for the Buckeyes. He worked 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing one it and striking out nine. Wimmers was relieved by Drew Rucinski, who tossed 3.0 innings en route to the save.
The Buckeyes struck first with a run in the top of the second inning. A one-out double put a runner in scoring position for OSU. A wild pitch advanced the runner to third base and a two-out double plated the runner, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.
The Ospreys threatened in the bottom of the third inning. Senior Kevin Martin led off the inning with a walk. Hannon followed with a bunt, but the first baseman fielded the ball and went to second with the ball. UNF benefited from an Ohio State error on the play that allowed both runners to reach safely. The Buckeyes escaped the inning without allowing a run as back-to-back strikeouts and a fielder's choice ended the inning.
UNF survived a scare in the top of the fourth inning. After recording an out, Kelly walked the bases loaded. Kelly escaped the inning without any damage by inducing a ground ball to Hannon at short. Hannon turned and fired to Thompson covering second and Thompson completed the double play with a perfect throw to first base.
The Buckeyes added a run in the top half of the fifth inning. A leadoff walk followed by a single up the middle gave Ohio State runners at the corners. Kelly induced a double play ball to second base, but the runner at third came around to score and give OSU a 2-0 advantage.
The game was delayed in the top of the sixth inning as the outfield lights turned off all of a sudden. The delay lasted 15 minutes and when play resumed so did the pitching dual. Each team kept the other scoreless over the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Ohio State increased its lead to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning. The inning started with a hit batter and a pair of hits, coupled with a wild pitch and a UNF error allowed the Buckeyes to plate two runs, setting up the Ospreys' ninth inning comeback attempt.
UNF continues play in the North Florida Classic on Saturday, Feb. 20, as the Ospreys square off against the Richmond Spiders in a 1 p.m. game. Richmond enters the game with a 1-0 record after a 23-1 victory over Florida A&M in the first game of the North Florida Classic.
