Late Rally Falls Short at A-Sun Tournament
5/27/2010 12:32:00 AM | Baseball
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of North Florida baseball team opened up the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament with a 7-5 loss to East Tennessee State.
Trailing by two in the ninth inning, the Ospreys loaded the bases with one out, but were unable to score any runs, dropping the two-run decision. With one out, UNF received back-to-back singles by Ryan Roberson and Sam Perry to start the rally. T.J. Gavlik followed with a walk to load the bases. The rally fell short for UNF as ETSU was able to strikeout the next two batters and secure the opening round victory.
Offensively, the Ospreys outhit the Bucs 11-to-10. UNF had a pair of home runs and a double for three extra base hits, compared to just a pair by ETSU. Defensively, North Florida struck out 12 ETSU batters while surrendering just four walks.
Preston Hale led the North Florida offensive attack. The First Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference selection recorded his first multi-homer game of the season, finishing the game 2-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored and three RBI.
Gavlik and T.J. Thompson each had two hits apiece. Gavlik recorded a double in the eighth inning and came around to score on Hale's second home run of the game. In the fourth inning with the bases loaded, Thompson looked to have hit a grand slam, but Dugan Field limited the slugger to a two-RBI single.
On the mound, Michael Kelly took the loss for the Ospreys. The senior scattered eight hits in 5.1 innings of work. He surrendered seven runs with six earned runs. Kelly walked only two batters, while striking out a team-best seven.
Casey Medlen took the mound in relief, working the final 2.2 innings of play. The fireballer allowed just a pair of singles, while striking out five batters.
East Tennessee State was the first team to score, plating a run in the second inning. The Bucs led off the inning with an infield single to second base. The next batter dropped a bloop single into shallow center field. The runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt. The Bucs hit a chopper back to the mound and the Ospreys tried to get the lead runner, but a fielding error by UNF scored the first run. With runners on the corners, ETSU stole second base. Kelly responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and keep the score at 1-0.
The Bucs increased their lead to 2-0 with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the third inning. The lead off batter hit a solo home run just over the right center field fence.
The Ospreys tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning. Hale extended his streak of consecutive games reaching base to 29 games after he was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Michael Smith followed with a single up the middle. David Eldredge placed a bunt perfectly down the third base line for an infield single. With the bases loaded, Thompson hit a ball off of the top of the right field wall. Two runs scored on the play, tying the score at two apiece.
ETSU regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Like the third inning, the Bucs used a solo home run to center field to score a run, taking a 3-2 lead.
The Buccaneers extended their lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. After allowing a run in the inning, the Ospreys surrendered a two-RBI bases loaded single to fall behind 6-3.
The Ospreys chipped away at the lead with a single run in the top of the sixth inning. Hale led off the inning with his 10th home run of the season. Hale became the fourth player this season for North Florida to boast double-digit home runs.
East Tennessee State added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Kelly struck out the first batter, but a wild pitch allowed the runner to reach base safely. The runner advanced on a sacrifice bunt and a single scored the runner from second, giving the designated home team a 7-3 advantage.
North Florida cut the ETSU lead to just a pair with two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Gavlik led off the inning with a double. Two batters later, Hale connected on his second home run of the game. The two-run homer pulled the Ospreys to within a pair of runs at 7-5.
The home run marked the first time this season Hale had multiple home runs in a game. The only other time Hale had multiple home runs in a game was on April 25, 2009 against Mercer. The last player to hit multiple home runs in an Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament game was Campbell's Brandon Scott on May 22, 2008 in an 11-3 victory for the Camels against Mercer.
The Ospreys shutdown the Bucs in the bottom of the eighth inning, setting up the dramatic ninth inning.
North Florida continues play in the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament on Thursday, May 27, as the Ospreys take on the A-Sun Regular Season Champion Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in a game to start at 4 p.m. (ET). The game is an elimination game for the Ospreys.
