Boxscore
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The University of North Florida baseball team dropped its four consecutive game on Tuesday night as the Ospreys fell 9-8 on the road against UNC Wilmington at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C. For the third consecutive game, the ninth inning proved costly for UNF (7-9) as UNCW (11-5) scored three runs in the final frame to edge the Ospreys.
Offensively, four different batters recorded multiple hits on the night, led by Andrew Karmeris who led all Ospreys with three hits. Karmeris finished the game 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored. Corey Bass, Robbie Collier and Shane Kennedy each recorded two hits apiece on the night. Alex Bacon hit the only home run of the game for the Ospreys. Bacon scored a team-best two runs on the night while driving in a team-high two RBI.
On the mound, starting pitcher Tommy Organ earned a no-decision. The southpaw tossed 4.1 innings, scattering six hits. He surrendered five runs, but only a pair of earned runs, while striking out five batters.
Tyler Moore pitched 2.2 innings of relief, giving up a run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Chandler Jagodzinski hurled a scoreless inning sitting down a pair of runners on strikes. Karmeris took the loss for North Florida. The junior allowed three runs on four hits in the bottom of the ninth inning.
North Florida was the first team to score, plating a run in the top of the first inning. With one out, Michael Smith singled up the middle to get things going for the Ospreys. Karmeris followed with a double down the left field line. Michael Wesner scored Smith from third with a sacrifice fly to left field to give UNF an early 1-0 lead.
UNC Wilmington took the lead in the bottom of the second inning. The first batter of the inning reached base because of a fielding error by the Ospreys. A double down the right field line gave the Seahawks a pair of runners in scoring position. A single up the middle scored both runners. Back-to-back groundouts moved the base runner over to third base and a double to right field gave the home team a 3-1 lead after two innings of play.
The Ospreys cut into the Seahawks lead with a run in the top of the third inning. Alex Hernandez walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a Karmeris single to center field. A deep fly ball allowed Hernandez to advance to third. With runners on the corners, North Florida successfully executed a double steal, scoring Hernandez from third base.
UNCW increased its lead back to a pair of runs with a run in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, the Seahawks' Matt Campbell hit a solo home run down the left field line to push their lead back to two runs at 4-2.
UNF tied the game in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of runs. With one out, Collier singled up the middle. The Ospreys tied the game with one swing of the bat as Bacon followed with a two-run home run to left center field.
North Florida regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Karmeris led off the inning with a double to right center field. A groundout moved Karmeris to third base. Kennedy delivered a pinch-hit single up the middle to score Karmeris from third base and give the Ospreys the lead. Bass continued the inning with a single through the right side, moving Kennedy to third on the play. A pick off move over to first base was off the mark and not only allowed Bass to advance to third base, but allowed Kennedy to score easily from third, giving UNF a 6-4 lead.
UNC Wilmington trimmed the North Florida lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, the first base runner of the inning reached courtesy of a UNF fielding error. The Ospreys went to the bullpen, bringing in Moore. A hit batter gave UNCW a pair of base runners. A fielder's choice recorded the second out of the inning, but an error on the throw to try to double up the batter allowed the lead runner to score.
The Ospreys answered with a run in the top of the sixth inning. T.J. Gavlik reached base on a fielding error by the Seahawks. Hernandez moved Gavlik to second with a sacrifice bunt. Gavlik moved to third on a passed ball and came around to score on a wild pitch, pushing the Ospreys' advantage back to a pair of runs, 7-5.
The Seahawks trimmed the UNF lead to just one with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, a hit batter allowed the first base runner of the inning for the home team. A two-out walk gave UNCW a runner in scoring position. An RBI single through the left side of the infield cut the UNF advantage to 7-6 after seven complete innings of play.
UNF added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning. Bacon led off the inning with a walk. He stole second to move into scoring position and moved to third on a groundout. Hernandez followed with an RBI single down the left field line to give the Ospreys an 8-6 lead.
The bottom of the ninth inning started off with a triple to left center field. Back-to-back RBI doubles tied the game at 8-8. The Ospreys recorded an out on a groundout, but the play moved the base runner to third base. A single up the middle ended the game as the runner from third scored easily.
North Florida and UNC Wilmington will conclude the midweek series with a single game on Wednesday, March 16. First pitch for the game between the Ospreys and the Seahawks is slated for 6 p.m. (ET).
