Boxscore
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team entered the bottom of the eighth inning tied 4-4 before true freshman Alex Bacon lifted a 1-0 pitch over the center field wall to put the Ospreys ahead 5-4 on Friday night at Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium.
The win improves North Florida to 12-11 overall and 4-6 in Atlantic Sun Conference play, while the loss drops Belmont to 12-11 and 3-4 in the A-Sun.
Offensively, the Ospreys recorded eight hits on the night, led by Bacon who finished the night with a pair of hits. Bacon led the team with a pair of runs scored and two RBI on the night. In addition to his home run, the freshman also added a double in the game.
Andrew Hannon finished the night 2-for-3, while Andrew Karmeris and Shane Kennedy added doubles on the evening.
On the mound, starter Robbie Collier recorded a career night en route to a no-decision. The southpaw scattered seven hits over 6.0 innings of work, allowing a run. Collier recorded a career-high eight strikeouts on the night without issuing a walk.
Casey Medlen earned the victory for the Ospreys in relief. The hurler tossed 3.0 innings of relief. Medlen surrendered three runs – two earned runs – on two hits. He fanned four batters without walking a batter.
Belmont was the first team to score, plating a run in the top of the first inning. With one out, a single gave the Bruins a base runner. Back-to-back stolen bases moved the runner to within 90 feet of home. An RBI single scored the first run of the game and gave the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
North Florida tied the score at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the second inning. Bacon became the first base runner of the day for the Ospreys as he was hit by a pitch. Kennedy followed with a double to give UNF a pair of runners in scoring position. Tyler Marincov recorded an RBI ground out to score Bacon from third and tie the ballgame.
The Ospreys took the lead in the bottom of the third inning. Sam Perry led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield. He moved to third on a single by Alex Hernandez. Corey Bass recorded an RBI groundout to score Perry from third and give the Ospreys an advantage. Hernandez moved to third on a fly ball to right field. Karmeris doubled down the right field line to score Hernandez. Bacon followed with a double to score Karmeris and give the Ospreys a 4-1 advantage.
The Bruins knotted the score at 4-4 with three runs in the top of the seventh inning. A one-out double to left field started things off for Belmont. The next batter was hit by a pitch to give the visitors a pair of base runners. A second double of the inning plated two runs and brought Belmont to within one of North Florida. The base runner moved to third on a ground out and came around to score on a fielding error by the Ospreys, tying the score at 4-4 at the seventh inning stretch.
With the game tied and one out, Bacon put the Ospreys ahead with a solo home run to center field. The home run was Bacon's fourth of the season. Medlen set the final three batters of the game down in order to preserve the victory for UNF.
North Florida and Belmont will continue the three-game series with a single game on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium.
