Hot-Hitting Ospreys Take Series from Villanova

Sunday, February 26

Jacksonville, Fla.

12:05 p.m.

University of North Florida

4-4

Villanova

1-5

Villanova

North Florida

Nichols hit a go-ahead two-run home run Sunday.

Photo by: Todd Drexler

2/26/2023 3:32:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Three Homers, Including Reich’s Grand Slam, Key 9-7 Win

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Thanks to three home runs, including a Cade Reich grand slam, North Florida baseball (4-4) took the deciding game of a three-game set with Villanova, 9-7, Sunday, Feb. 26.

UNF has now homered 15 times as a team on the year, taking both three-game series played across the season-opening eight-game home stand.

The teams combined for five home runs and oddly enough, the last play of the game was a home run by the visiting team. Due to Villanova's (1-5) travel curfew, the game-ended at 3 p.m. on the dot, finishing things with UNF up two runs.

UNF 9, Villanova 7

Pitchers of Record
Win: Dominick Madonna (2-1)
Loss: Cole Vanderslice (0-1)
Save: Lance Bolton (1)

Line Scores
VILLANOVA | 7R, 10H, E, 11 LOB
UNF | 9R, 8H, E, 7 LOB

Behind the Line Score

UNF evaded danger in the first. Villanova loaded the bags with nobody out, but Avery Love buckled down to get a pair of strikeouts and a popout.
The same result ensued in the bottom half. Villanova's starter walked two and plunked another, but a backwards "k" and double play got the Wildcats out of it.
Villanova got on the board with a leadoff double and two-out single, but Love stranded the bags loaded again.
Dallen Leach made Nova's Sal Fusco pay for leaving a 1-2 fastball at the belt, as the catcher launched a solo home run to right center to tie it up.
UNF took the lead with a two-run third, sparked by Aidan Sweatt's leadoff walk. Austin Brinling hooked an RBI double inside the right field line, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Gabriel Esquivel's RBI groundout.
Nova evened it up with a towering two-run home run to right field in the fourth
UNF's 14th homer on the year came via a two-run bomb to left center from Cherokee Nichols. Nichols took a hanging breaking ball over the wall, driving Sweatt in with the long ball.
Villanova got one back in the sixth with an RBI single back up the box, but Gabriel Esquivel made a huge play, sliding to snag a line drive at first to strand two in scoring position.
A good chance at insurance runs slipped away in the sixth when Villanova's left fielder made a diving catch on a line drive in left with one away. The Wildcats coaxed a groundout to escape.
Lance Bolton shut the door in the seventh, fanning the side
Reich blew things open with a grand slam out to the trucks parked beyond the fence in left center, making it 9-4 in the seventh
Villanova made it interesting with a three-run homer in the ninth, but the travel curfew ended things at three with UNF up two runs.

Statistical Leaders
VILLANOVA

Craig Larsen | 3-for-5, RBI
Cameron Hassert | 2-for-5, R, 3RBI, HR
Luke Mutz | 1-for-1, 3R, 2RBI, HR, 4BB

UNF

Dallen Leach | 2-for-2, HR, R, RBI, BB
Cherokee Nichols | 1-for-2, 2R, 2RBI, HR, BB
Aidan Sweatt | 1-for-3, 2R, BB

Notes

It was Leach's second-multi-hit game of the series
Today's game completed an eight-game home stand to start the year, the longest in the program's DI era to open the season.
Reich hit the first grand slam for the Ospreys since Brock Edge March 19, 2022 against Liberty
Reich is on an eight-game hitting streak
UNF has homered in six of eight games
Madonna has picked up a win in both series
Bolton earned his first save
It was the second-longest outing of Avery Love's career
Leach hit his first home run since April 22 against Liberty
Sweatt surpassed 40-career walks
Bolton has already turned in five appearances
UNF had eight home runs in the series

?????????? ???????? ????@Caderade11 blows things open in the 7th! #SWOOP pic.twitter.com/OQ0YciQMOz
— UNF Baseball (@OspreyBSB) February 26, 2023

It's @NicholsCherokee's turn ??

That's HR No. 14 on the year for the Ospreys as we take a 5-3 lead! #SWOOP pic.twitter.com/MUOsGLKNcw
— UNF Baseball (@OspreyBSB) February 26, 2023