University of North Florida
Jacksonville
UNF ASun Tournament Blog: Day 4
5/28/2010 2:16:13 AM | Baseball
DAY FOUR:
As we got ready to leave the hotel for Dugan Field on Thursday to face the nationally-ranked Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in a must-win game, I ran into freshman catcher Corey Bass at the elevator. I asked him if he thought their backs were up against the wall after the loss to ETSU. Bass said that he didn't think the team felt that way, but he did say that they wanted to play another day.
Day two of the ASun baseball tournament was cut and dry – either survive and move on or lose and go home. UNF had lost eight straight to the Eagles and had a six-game losing streak going in. FGCU, ranked No. 28 by Collegiate Baseball, had won nine of its last 12 games. The Eagles had just outscored the Ospreys 31-10 in their 3-game series last week, batting .379 while holding UNF to a .255 average. Needless to say, things didn't look good.
But head coach Dusty Rhodes told the team in a kind of matter of fact way to just go take care of business before they got off the bus. He added that he wasn't going to lay into the team. We've actually see a kind and gentler side of
After the team took batting practice, we watched the end of the Stetson-JU elimination game. The Hatters were down to their final strike but got a base hit in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 2-2. However, the Dolphins answered in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 win. Again, that would become significant by the end of the day.
As I was setting up my broadcast gear getting ready for our game against the Eagles, FGCU All-America pitcher Chris Sale stopped by for an interview on ESPN Radio in
Boy has he ever. Hale hit his third home run of the tournament on Thursday, while upping his average to .625 for the tournament, including a 1.750 slugging percentage. He also extended his hitting streak to 10 games.
But it was junior pitcher George Lott who set the tone for the Ospreys against the Eagles. After the Eagles led off the game with a double and single by first team All-Atlantic Sun selections Stephen Wickens and Mikel Alvarez respectively, Lott came back to strike out the next batter. Then, he induced a ground ball double play, one of three on the day. The momentum carried over into the bottom of the first with RBI singles by seniors David Eldredge and T.J. Thompson.
Among the highlights in the 13-2 win over the Eagles, their worst loss since joining the Atlantic Sun: a three-run home run by freshman Corey Bass; a major league putout by shortstop Sam Perry; and, Justin Preckajlo's home run in which Eagle's center fielder Joe Guarnaccia went over the wall attempting to make the catch.
The Ospreys finished the game with 19 hits in taking down the top-seeded Eagles and advancing to day three against the cross-town rival Dolphins. UNF has gone from facing elimination to needing three wins to advance to the NCAA Tournament. They also picked up their first win this season at Dugan Field.
The win against the Eagles was the Ospreys 11th all-time against ranked Division I foes. It also kept their hopes alive in convincing fashion. It's still a one game at a time approach, but now there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.
Go Ospreys!
