March 13, 2010
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida collected half of its hits and runs in a four-run first inning never looked back, despite four Illinois State extra-base hits, in a 8-4 win over the Redbirds at Harmon Stadium Saturday afternoon.
North Florida (8-7) answered a single Redbird run in the top of the first inning with four runs on five hits in the bottom half of the inning against Illinois State starter Ryan Copeland (0-2). The Ospreys pushed across five of the first nine batters to start the game and scored six runs total in the first three innings. Copeland settled down and retired all but four of 18 hitters from the second inning through the sixth, but the damage was done.
Kevin Tokarksi scored Illinois State's (5-8) first run of the game on a single by Chad Hinshaw in the first inning, then belted his first career home run over the right field wall with the bases empty in the third to make it a 6-2 game. Illinois State cut into the lead further in the sixth after Anthony Ruffolo stole second and scored on a ball hit under the third baseman and into left field by Ryan Court.
The 6-3 score after six innings was the closest the Redbirds would get to North Florida. Andrew Karmeris hit a towering, two-run home run to left in the seventh - the second of two home runs hit by the Ospreys - and pushed the UNF advantage to 8-3. Illinois State threatened in the ninth with back-to-back doubles by Court and Jake Thornton leading to another run, but the Ospreys went to the bullpen and Kris Linster induced a double play ball from Matt Mirabal and got Josh Colon to ground out to end the game.
North Florida starter Michael Kelly (1-3) scattered six hits over the first eight innings before being chased from the game after the doubles in the ninth. He struck out six and limited Illinois State to three earned runs to notch his first win of the season.
Hinshaw, Ruffolo and Thornton all had two hits for the Redbirds in the loss and JD Learnard pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Ruffolo accounted for Illinois State's fourth extra-base hit, a double in the eighth inning.
Illinois State concludes competition at the Kennel Club Classic against James Madison at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Redbirds defeated the Dukes 5-0 in a six-inning, rain-shortened contest Friday night. Sunday morning's game also marks the end of Illinois State's spring break trip. The Redbirds open the home portion of their schedule next weekend with a four-game series against Central Michigan at Duffy Bass Field.
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