JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tied 5-5 heading into the bottom of the 10th inning, junior Andrew Karmeris led off the inning with his eighth home run of the season to lift the University of North Florida baseball team to a 6-5 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night at Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium.
Karmeris finished the game 2-for-5 with a home run, a run scored and two RBI. The junior singled in the tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but used a solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Ospreys their first extra-inning victory of the season.
North Florida also received multi-hit performances from Alex Bacon and Kyle Dahl. The duo each recorded a pair of hits apiece in the victory. Bacon hit his team-leading ninth home run in the game, while Dahl hit his fourth homer of the year.
On the mound, Casey Medlen picked up his fifth win of the season, coming out of the bullpen. The senior tossed the final 3.0 innings of the game, surrendering one hit and issuing just one walk. The hurler fanned seven of the first eight batters he faced, including sitting down six consecutive batters on strikes.
Clayton Schulz earned his first start of the season. The sophomore scattered five hits in 4.1 innings of work. He allowed one unearned run. The south paw fanned five batters, while walking three. Marshal Rosenberger worked the next 2.2 innings. The sophomore allowed four runs on three hits, surrendering three walks and striking out a pair.
Bethune-Cookman was the first team to score, plating a run in the top of the first inning. With two outs, the Wildcats got their first base runner of the day with a single into right field. The next batter hit the ball to right center field, but the fly ball was dropped by the Ospreys allowing the runner on first to come around to score. UNF ended the inning as Michael Smith dove to catch a ball in the left center field gap to keep the score at 1-0.
North Florida worked out of a jam in the top of the fifth inning. The Wildcats led of the inning with a single that took a bad hop over the head of Karmeris at first base. The next batter struck out for the first out of the inning, but a wild pitch and a walk placed a runner on first and second. North Florida went to the bullpen and brought in Rosenberger. The right hander walked the first batter he faced, but used a strikeout and a fly ball to escape a bases loaded jam.
The Ospreys used a one-out solo home run by Dahl in the bottom of the fifth inning to knot the score at one run apiece. The home run was Dahl's fourth of the season and seventh of his career.
The Wildcats regained the lead with four runs in the top of the seventh inning. With one out, a walk and a base hit allowed the first two runners of the inning on base. A base-clearing triple to right center field scored the first two runs of the inning. A two-run home run to left center field put the visitors in front 5-1.
UNF responded with four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Bacon led off the inning with his team-leading ninth home run of the season. T.J. Gavlik followed with a single up the middle and moved to second on a Dahl single. A fly ball to deep center field advanced both runners into scoring position. After a pitching change, a wild pitch allowed Gavlik to score from third. Alex Hernandez walked to put runners on the corners. Smith followed with an RBI groundout to pull the Ospreys to within one. Karmeris singled up the middle to score Hernandez from second and tie the game at 5-5.
The score remained tied at five apiece at the end of regulation. North Florida worked out of a jam in the top of the 10th inning. After back-to-back strikeouts to start the inning, the Wildcats used a double and a walk to place a pair of runners on base. Medlen used a groundout to first base to end the inning without a run scoring, setting up Karmeris' 10th heroics.
North Florida takes a break for finals, but the Ospreys will return to action on Friday, April 29, as UNF opens a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series on the road against No. 18 Stetson.
