Ospreys Fall in 14-Inning Marathon

Tuesday, March 26

Jacksonville, Fla.

6:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

18-9

Bethune-Cookman

13-14

Bethune-Cookman

North Florida

3/26/2013 10:29:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

Boxscore

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida and Bethune-Cookman University baseball teams battled for 14 innings before the Wildcats edged the Ospreys 6-5 on Tuesday night at Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium.

The Ospreys fell behind 5-0 after an inning and a half of play. North Florida was able to chip away at the lead before tying the game in the bottom of the fifth inning at 5-5. Neither team was able to score until the Wildcats plated a run in the top of the 14th inning. The Ospreys were unable to answer in the bottom of the inning, dropping the second longest game in UNF's Division I history.

The longest game in school history happened on March 13, 2007 as North Florida battled Indiana for 16 innings before earning a 10-9 victory. The Ospreys' 14 inning contest fell just two innings shy of that mark. The game was the fifth extra-inning game of the season for North Florida.

Offensively, North Florida recorded 12 hits on the night, scoring five runs. Four different Ospreys recorded multiple hits on the night, led by Tyler Marincov and Paul Karmeris who each had three hits. Marincov finished the day with a pair of doubles. The duo also led the team with two runs scored apiece. Ryan Roberson and Donnie Dewees each added doubles on the night while Corbin Olmstead boasted a triple. Dewees led the team with two runs batted in on the night.

On the mound, the Ospreys used eight pitchers on the night. Tyler Moore earned the start – his first since the season opener on Friday, Feb. 15. He tossed one inning allowing a run and striking out one. Evan Incinelli worked 0.1 inning surrendering four runs – three earned runs – on five hits. Spencer Herrmann, Nick Allbritton, Jamie Cardwell, Ryan McMahon and Corbin Olmstead combined to pitch the next 11.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Marshal Rosenberger took the hard-luck loss for the Ospreys. He surrendered just one run on a pair of hits. Olmstead led the team with five strikeouts.

North Florida recorded six 1-2-3 innings on the night. The pitching staff was aided by a pair of double plays on the night. After surrendering five runs in the first two innings, the Ospreys held the Wildcats scoreless over the next 11 innings.

Bethune-Cookman scratched the scoreboard first with a run in the top of the first inning. The Wildcats placed runners on the corners after back-to-back singles to start the game. The runner on first tried to move into scoring position but Corey Bass threw out the runner trying to steal. Moore struck out the next batter for the second out of the inning. Bethune-Cookman used a single to score the runner and take a 1-0 lead. A double extended the inning and left the Wildcats with runners on second and third, but a pop up ended the inning and the threat.

The Wildcats increased their advantage to 5-0 with four runs in the top of the second inning. BCU scored four runs on five hits, including a pair of doubles. Bethune-Cookman was also aided by a hit batter and an Osprey error in the inning to take an early five-run lead.

North Florida chipped into the lead in the bottom of the second inning. P. Karmeris led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield – the first base hit of the night for the Ospreys. P. Karmeris advanced to second base on a wild pitch and moved to third on a groundout. P. Karmeris came around to score on a RBI groundout by Kyle Brooks, cutting the lead to 5-1.

The Ospreys added a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Marincov doubled down the right field line. He came around to score as Dewees followed with a RBI double down the right field line. With two outs, Olmstead tripled off the right field fence, scoring Dewees and trimming the deficit to 5-3 after three innings of play.

UNF pulled to within one in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs, Marincov doubled to centerfield. He came around to score as Dewees singled through the right side of the infield.

North Florida tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, P. Karmeris reached base with a bunt single down the third base line. He advanced to second on a ground out. With two outs, his brother Nick Karmeris tied the game with a pinch-hit RBI single to right field, knotting the game at 5-5.

The game remained 5-5 after nine complete innings of play. The Ospreys and Wildcats, who played 11 innings in their last meeting on Feb. 19 in Daytona Beach, headed into extra innings. Both teams posted scoreless innings until the pivotal 14th inning.

In the top of the 14th inning, Bethune-Cookman's Matt Noble reached base with a one-out single. He came around to score on an Eric Sams RBI double down the right field line. The Ospreys used a fly ball and a groundout to end the inning, but trailed 6-5.

In the bottom of the 14th, the Ospreys were unable to respond and dropped the one-run decision.

North Florida returns to action on Thursday, March 28 as the Ospreys open a three-game Atlantic Sun Conference series with East Tennessee State. The Ospreys and Buccaneers square off on Thursday, March 28 at 6:00 p.m.; Friday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m.; and Saturday, March 30 at 1:00 p.m. All three games can be heard on 1010XL in Jacksonville with the Voice of the Ospreys Robert Harper (@UNFVoice) doing the play-by-play. Live stats, live video and in-game tweets (@OspreyBSB) will be available throughout the game.