Boxscore
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team dropped a 4-2 decision to Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday night at Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium. Down 3-0 early, the Ospreys used a two-run home run to rally back, but were unable to close the gap, falling to the Wildcats.
 
Offensively, the Ospreys recorded five hits on the night, led by Tyler Marincov who had a pair of base knocks. Marincov hit his team-leading seventh home run of the season during the game. The sophomore finished the game with a team-best two RBI, adding a run scored. Corey Bass, Joe Iorio and Andrew Karmeris each had hits in the game with A. Karmeris scoring a run.
 
On the mound, starting pitcher Bryan Mathews took the loss in his first collegiate start. The true freshman surrendered three runs in the first inning, but shutout the Wildcats for the next four innings. Mathews tossed 5.0 innings, allowing just three hits, but was hurt by three walks and no strikeouts.
 
Tommy Organ worked the next 2.1 innings. The southpaw allowed one run on three hits and a walk. Chandler Jagodzinski tossed the final 1.2 scoreless innings without allowing a hit or a walk.
 
Bethune-Cookman took an early lead, plating three runners in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats placed two runners in scoring position on a leadoff walk, followed by a double to center field. BCU managed to load the bases with a walk. The Ospreys recorded the first out of the inning on a ground out to second base, but the Wildcats scored the first run of the inning on the play. The next batter flied out to shallow right field, but the throw to home to try to prevent the lead runner from coming home was off the mark allowing the second run of the inning to score. With a runner on third, BCU used a single to right field to score another run and take an early 3-0 lead.
 
Following the single in the first inning, Mathews retired 11 batters in a row, tying for the most consecutive batters retired by the Ospreys in a game this season.
 
North Florida cut into the deficit with one swing in the bottom of the fourth inning. A. Karmeris was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. With a runner on first and one out, Marincov hit a two-run homer to left field to pull the Ospreys to within one at 3-2. The home run was Marincov's seventh of the season and the 12th of his career.
 
The Wildcats added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. With two outs, BCU used a hit batter and a single to place runners on the corners. A second single scored the lead runner and gave the guests a 4-2 advantage.
 
The Ospreys used back-to-back singles from Bass and Iorio to place the tying run on base in the bottom of the eighth inning, but were able to manufacture a run. In the ninth inning, Marincov singled to give UNF hope. With two outs, the Ospreys had a deep fly ball caught at the wall to end the inning and the game.
 
North Florida returns to action tomorrow evening as the Ospreys head to Tallahassee, Fla. for a non-conference game with Florida A&M. First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m. at Moore-Kittles Field.