Ospreys take five in weekend play

By Holli Welch
SPORTS EDITOR

Rebecca Daly

Top: Senior outfielder Christina Evans scored a run against Georgia Southern March 7. The Ospreys defeated the Eagles 4-0 in their third shut- out of the season. Bottom: Senior catcher Kelli Rutenbar rounded the bases after one of her two hits against Mount St. Mary's University March 11.

During a week filled with Atlantic Sun Conference games and competition at the Stetson Tournament, the University of North Florida softball team captured five wins in seven games, including a 4-0 shutout March 7 over Georgia Southern University and a 12-0 win over Mount St. Mary's University March 10.

Senior pitcher Katie Brosky and freshman pitcher Devyn Findley led the Ospreys in the 4-0 win over Georgia Southern, not allowing a run until the seventh inning. The win marked Findley's first shutout as an Osprey.

Senior outfielder Christina Evans, sophomore catcher Lauren Pulling and freshman third baseman Elizabeth Howell collected hits against Georgia Southern.

"We needed some clutch hitting," head coach Sonya Wilmoth said. "It wasn't pretty but it worked."

North Florida came through again at bat against Bethune-Cookman College March 9, winning 4-2. The Ospreys lost 5-3 to the Temple University Owls however, never advancing from the Owls home run scored in the first inning.

Findley led UNF against Mount St. Mary's March 10, throwing her first career no-hitter. At bat, the Ospreys scored 12 runs on 15 hits.

"It was nice to see us swing the bats the way we did," Wilmoth said. "As for Findley, she stayed in good counts and was able to keep them [Mount St. Mary's] off- balance."

North Florida lost 2-1 to Stetson University, but came back to beat Mount St. Mary's 9-1.

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High strokes bring 12th-place finish for team

Sophomore leads team with tie for 27th after falling from top 10

By Holli Welch
SPORTS EDITOR

Jeff Dennis led the University of North Florida golf team at the General Jim Hackler Invitational March 11-12, finishing close to the top 10 against top-ranked opponents.

The sophomore finished tied for 27th place, shooting a three-round total of 218 during the two-day event.

The Osprey went into the final day 3-under-par, after shooting opening rounds of 72 and 69. Dennis could not keep the momentum, however, and dropped from a tie at seventh place to 27th after shooting 77 during the final round.

North Florida finished the tournament in a 12th-place tie with Purdue University, three strokes behind a 10th-place tie with Georgia Southern University.

The Ospreys opened with team totals of 302 and 288. The team ended the tournament 22-over par after shooting 296 during round three.

"Dennis played against some of the best players in the nation," head coach Scott Schroeder said. "He has to get in that position [top -10] more in order to get more comfortable with it."

Lamar University won the team title with a combined score of 838, finishing 26-under par.

"We didn't play very well as a team," Schroeder said. "We still finished where we were projected to finish and the boys are already out preparing to finish higher in our next tournament."

Rhys Davies from East Tennessee State University won individual honors with a 10-under 206.

Sophomore Michael Giammaresi opened strong, finishing 148 after two rounds. Freshman J.C. Horne shot 149, freshman Gavin Cambre finished with 153, and junior Michael O'Neal finished with 158.

Horne soared during the second day of play, leading the team with a 1-under-par 71. The freshman shot an eagle (two shots under par) on hole 14 and made a birdie (1-under-par) on 16 and 18.

Horne finished 34th, moving up a 55th-place tie after day one.

"Horne played really good and probably had one of his strongest finishes in college," Schroeder said. "He is making strides and getting a great experience as a freshman."

Cambre followed, shooting 74, while O'Neal finished with 75. Giammaresi rounded out the UNF score, shooting 76.

North Florida will head to North Carolina March 18 to play in the Pinehurst Intercollegiate Tournament.

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Inside scoop on March Madness

From the Cheap Seats

By Ryan Clarke
FRESHMAN, JOURNALISM

One month, 65 teams and an endless supply of ESPN's Andy Katz and Joe Lunardi give you what is commonly known as March Madness.

With that in mind, allow me to divulge some bracket-busting knowledge that will put you over the top if you're participating in any type of pool.

All you need to know about the University of Texas' Kevin Durant is he took just seven minutes to reach double digits en route to a 37-point performance in the Big 12 Conference championship game. I'm not wild about them blowing a 20-plus point lead against the University of Kansas, but Texas won eight of its last 10 games and has the feel of last year's University of Florida team. Look for them to make an appearance in the final four.

Speaking of the Gators, all you need to do is look at the dominating show they put on in the Southeastern Conference tournament to know the Gators are back to their old selves.

They've also got something no one else in the field of 65 has: they were there last year, and that's worth at least a trip to the final four.

Don't let the no-show performance in the Pacific-10 Conference fool you. UCLA is as close to an NBA team as there is in college basketball. Player of the year candidate Arron Afflalo is back, as is the venerable Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. And while the selection committee didn't care, a 26-4 season record is no joke, making UCLA my third team in the final four.

The fourth seat is hard to fill. It is a stretch to put two No.1 seeds in the final four, so forget The Ohio State University.

Don't be fooled by name recognition either. Just because you see Duke University, don't automatically think they're going to the sweet 16.

Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts? Come on, I've seen better players in the Atlantic Sun Conference. I have them going out in the first round to Virginia Commonwealth.

The University of Tennessee, Villanova University, Michigan State University, Texas Tech University and Gonzaga University are also pretenders, not contenders.

I'm not saying they're awful teams, but they're nowhere near where they've been in recent years.

With all this said, the next month will surely be filled with great games and a lot of madness.

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Ospreys battle in close games

By Scott Dye
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rebecca Daly

Freshman infielder Mycal Jones recorded a hit against Ohio State University March 9. The Ospreys lost 3-2.

The University of North Florida baseball team (8-11) finished the Kennel Classic with a 3-2 win over the University of North Carolina at Greensboro March 11. The win followed two close games: a 3-2 loss in 11 innings to The Ohio State University March 9 and a 9-7 loss to the University of Connecticut March 10.

Team soars into extra innings

Senior shortstop Chad Knight scored the first run against Ohio State after senior first baseman Jimmy Glanville hit an RBI single in the first inning.

The runs went back and forth between both teams, as senior pitcher Brad Johnson locked into a pitcher's duel with Ohio State. Johnson threw 6 2/3 innings and allowed only two runs by the Buckeyes.

The game went into extra innings after senior outfielders Damon Olinto and Jon Dandridge stopped Ohio State runners at home plate in the ninth and 10th innings. But Ohio State won in the 11th inning on a two-out, bases-loaded infield single.

Ninth inning battle

The University of Connecticut Huskies jumped on the Ospreys early to grab leads of 5-0 and then 9-5.

North Florida fought back in the final inning and scored two runs to close the margin, but missed a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity to take the lead.

Knight, who went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, paced the Ospreys along with sophomore center fielder Brian Wilson, who went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Freshman pitches first win

North Florida showed its resiliency against UNC Greensboro as the Ospreys shook off two defeats and an early deficit to claim a victory.

"This was a big win for us because our last two losses were emotional games," Dandridge said. "It could have been easy for us to come out flat, but we didn't."

The Ospreys scored two runs in the sixth inning and a one in the seventh that proved to be enough support for starting freshman pitcher John Atteo (1-2).

The left-hander claimed his first career victory, allowing only one run in six innings. Dandridge provided offense and went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

The Ospreys will host Atlantic Sun Conference foe Stetson University for a three-game series starting March 16. The series marks the beginning of conference play for UNF.

"I think we're 10 times better than we were earlier in the season," Dandridge said. "We're playing more consistently in every aspect, which is good with conference starting."

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