Boxscore
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The University of North Florida baseball team scored 12 runs on 14 hits, including two home runs and five doubles to claim a 12-8 victory over Charleston Southern on Friday afternoon at CSU Ballpark. The win was the first of the year for the Ospreys and the first for UNF in the Smoke Laval Era.
“Opening day is always fun,” Laval stated after the game. “We did what we had to do to win, but we did have some mental lapses throughout the game. Charleston Southern played well today and never gave up. We had them down a couple of times, but we couldn't knock them out. Once we learn how to do that we will be much better.”
North Florida was led by Andrew Karmeris. The junior finished the day 4-for-5 with three doubles and a home run. Karmeris drove in five runs and scored three runs. In addition, he pitched in the ninth inning, recording the final two outs to earn the save. On the mound, Karmeris retired both batters he faced, striking out one.
Robbie Collier, Kyle Dahl and Evan Stermer each recorded a pair of hits on the day. Collier hit his first home run of the season, while Dahl and Stermer each recorded a double.
Senior Michael Smith joined Karmeris with a team-high three runs scored, while Collier and senior Andrew Hannon each had a pair of RBI in the game.
On the mound, the North Florida used five pitchers to secure the win. Senior Casey Medlen earned the start. The former closer worked 4.2 innings, striking out three. Sophomore Josh Patton entered the game in relief, working 1.0 scoreless innings. Junior Chandler Jagodzinski worked 2.0 innings, allowing just one earned run. Sophomore Tommy Organ tossed 0.2 scoreless innings before Karmeris' final two outs.
The Ospreys were the first to scratch the scoreboard, plating a run in the first inning. With one out, Smith singled to right center field to get things started for North Florida. Karmeris followed with an RBI double to right center field to give UNF its first run of 2011 and a 1-0 lead.
The Buccaneers tied the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning. A pair of singles and a fielder's choice left the Bucs with runners on first and second with just one out. A pair of wild pitches by the Ospreys advanced the runners, scoring the lead runner.
North Florida gained the lead in the second inning. Collier led off the inning with a single to right center, but was put out on a fielder's choice, leaving T.J. Gavlik at first base with one out. Dahl doubled to right field to give the Ospreys a pair of runners in scoring position. With two outs, Hannon delivered a two-RBI single to put UNF ahead. Smith continued the inning with a walk. Karmeris recorded his second double of the day to score Hannon and Smith. A fielding error by Charleston Southern allowed Karmeris to score from second base and give the Ospreys a 6-1 advantage.
Charleston Southern closed the gap with a pair of runs in the second inning. A single and a wild pitch put the leadoff batter in scoring position with no outs. A single to left field placed runners on the corners. A groundout to Medlen moved the runner on first to second base. A two-out single down the left field line cut the UNF lead to 6-3.
The Buccaneers plated a run in the bottom of the third inning to cut the UNF lead to just two. With two outs, CSU received a single up the middle to get things going. A stolen base moved the runner into scoring position. After a walk, a double down the left field line scored the lead runner, cutting the lead to 6-4.
The Ospreys increased the lead to 8-4 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning. A two-out double by Karmeris – his third of the game – gave the Ospreys a runner in scoring position. Stermer doubled off of the right field wall to score Karmeris and continue the inning. True freshman Alex Bacon singled to left field, scoring Stermer and pushing the UNF advantage to 8-4.
Charleston Southern trimmed the North Florida lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Buccaneers started off the inning with a double to left center field. A single scored the runner, cutting the Ospreys' lead to 8-5.
North Florida increased its lead to 10-5 in the top of the seventh inning. With a runner on base and one out, Collier connected on the first pitch he saw and belted his first home run of the season. The shot to center field was the senior's third of his career. His last home run came on April 6, 2010, against No. 7 Florida State, a two-run home run which proved to be the game-winning homer.
The Buccaneers closed the gap in the bottom of the seventh inning with a pair of runs. CSU used three hits and a pair of UNF errors to close the margin to 10-7.
The Ospreys increased their lead back to five runs with one swing of the bat in the eighth inning. With a runner on second and one out, Karmeris belted his first home run of the season to give North Florida a 12-7 advantage.
CSU plated a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to narrow UNF's advantage to 12-8. The Buccaneers recorded three hits in the inning, but were only able to score one run in the inning despite loading the bases.
Neither team was able to score in the ninth inning, securing the 12-8 victory for the Ospreys.
North Florida and Charleston Southern will continue the three-game series on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 2:00 p.m. at CSU Ballpark. Live stats for the game will be available here.
