Gators Take the Mid-Week Sweep against North Florida

The top ranked Florida baseball team will go into a weekend match up against Harvard with a 14-1 record after beating the University of North Florida 5-4 Wednesday night in Gainesville.  The Gators are now on an eight game winning streak.  Freshman righty Jackson Kowar got the start on the mound for Florida and picked up the win, pitching six innings while allowing two earned runs.

North Florida started off strong, getting a run in the first inning on an RBI hit from senior Nick Karmeris to left field. But the Gators would score three runs in the bottom of the inning on a three run triple by Mike Rivera.  Rivera says the teams main goal is to start the game off strong and keep that going through the end.

Florida made it 4-1 in the second inning on a solo homer by catcher Mark Kolozsvary but the Ospreys made it 4-2 in the third inning a an RBI double by designated hitter Corbin Olmstead.

Both teams would stand their ground until the seventh inning when Florida’s JJ Schwarz drove in a run with a hard line drive single off the pitcher.  Despite this, Gator coach Kevin O’Sullivan believes the team has alot to work on offensively. 

Brady Singer would relieve Kowar in the seventh inning but he did not have a good outing.  In the eighth inning, the Ospreys scored two runs off Singer on an RBI hit by Olmstead and a ground ball out by Christian Diaz that plated a run.  Reliever Kirby Snead helped put out the fire by striking out Karmeris in a left on left match up and Snead says when coach sends him out to finish he has to trust his stuff and do the best he can.

Righty Shaun Anderson came into the game in the eighth inning and earned a save but it was not easy.  The Ospreys put the tying run on base in the ninth inning but Anderson shut the door to earn his first save of the year.

Up next the Gators will host Harvard on Friday to start a weekend series; you can hear live coverage on ESPN Gainesville/95.3 FM Friday at 6:55 p.m.