Baseball Edged by Jacksonville, 6-4

Friday, May 6

Jacksonville, Fla.

6:30 p.m.

University of North Florida

24-20, 12-13

Jacksonville

28-17, 17-8

North Florida

Jacksonville

Photo by: Todd Drexler

5/6/2011 8:49:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: UNF Athletics

Boxscore

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team fell 6-4 to crosstown rival Jacksonville in the first game of a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference game on Friday night at Sessions Stadium. The loss dropped the Ospreys to 24-20 overall and 12-13 in A-Sun, while the Dolphins improved to 28-17 and 17-8 in the conference.

Offensively, UNF outhit JU, 13-to-8, but were only able to score four runs. North Florida stranded 10 runners on base, compared to just five by Jacksonville. In addition, UNF hit into three double plays on the night and turned just one double play.

The Ospreys scored all four of its runs in the second inning. Alex Bacon and Andrew Karmeris led North Florida with three hits apiece, while Corey Bass added a pair of base hits on the night. Bacon finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Karmeris went 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored. Bass and Alex Hernandez each added RBI, while Shane Kennedy, Andrew Hannon and T.J. Gavlik each scored a run.

On the mound, Robbie Collier tossed a solid game. The senior scattered six hits in 7.0 innings of work. Collier allowed six runs – five earned runs. The southpaw struck out seven batters on the evening, while walking just one. Chandler Jagodzinski entered the game in relief of Collier. He tossed 1.0 scoreless innings, surrendering a pair of hits and a walk.

North Florida was the first to score, plating four runs in the top of the second inning. Karmeris led off the inning with a double down the left field line. Kennedy followed with a single to left field to give UNF runners on the corners. Bacon followed with an RBI single to the shortstop. On the play, Kennedy advanced to third on an error by the Dolphins. JU used a double play to record the first two outs of the inning, but Kennedy was able to score on the play. Hannon continued the inning as he was hit by a pitch. Gavlik singled to right field advancing Hannon to third base. Hernandez continued the inning with an RBI single. Bass plated the next run with an RBI single up the middle to give UNF a 4-0 lead after an inning and a half.

Jacksonville responded with three runs in the bottom of the second inning. A leadoff single and a walk gave JU its first base runners of the game. A single to left field loaded the bases for the Dolphins. The first run of the game for the hosts came across to score on a hit by pitch. Back-to-back ground outs plated two more runs and trimmed the Ospreys lead to just 4-3 after two complete innings of play.

The Dolphins took the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning. After back-to-back strikeouts, Jacksonville used a single, a double and a North Florida error to score two runs and take a 5-4 lead after three innings.

Neither team was able to score until the bottom of the sixth inning when JU added an insurance run. Back-to-back singles started off the inning and a sacrifice bunt moved the two runners into scoring position. A ground out scored the run and put the Ospreys behind 6-4.

UNF and JU were both unable to score in the final three innings, as the Ospreys fell in the opening game by two runs.

North Florida and Jacksonville continue the series with a single game at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon beginning at Noon.