Mike Zunino ensured the Gators would avoid an Osprey sweep this season.
With the game tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 11th, Zunino ripped a 2-2 offering from North Florida pitcher Andrew Karmeris down the left-field line to give Florida a 4-3 victory. The end result was a season series split between the Gators (36-13) and the Ospreys (28-21).
Connor Mitchell, who scored the winning run, entered the game under ominous circumstances for UF. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Preston Tucker hit a double to left field. As Tucker slid into second base, he came up with a limp. Coach Kevin O'Sullivan pulled Tucker as a precautionary measure and sent in Mitchell as a pinch runner.
Florida and North Florida used a combined 13 pitchers in the 11-inning contest. Keenan Kish logged the most work for UF, racking up a team-high 51 pitches. Kish gave up four hits in four scoreless frames, striking out three batters.
Steve Rodriguez also pitched well for the Gators in 2.2 scoreless innings. He held the Ospreys hitless, striking out four and walking one. Rodriguez and Kish provided solid relief for starter Johnny Magliozzi, who surrendered earned runs in consecutive innings.
In the top of the third, Magliozzi had just one out to go with North Florida's T.J. Gavlik on third base. Then, Magliozzi gave up an RBI single, which put the Ospreys ahead 2-1 at the time. Kish then came in for Magliozzi and retired Karmeris, which ended the inning.
Florida led 3-2 going into the top of the eighth inning, but Jonathon Crawford could not hold the lead. Crawford gave up a single to Tyler Marincov to lead off the inning. Crawford struck out Karmeris, but Marincov managed to advance by stealing second base. Then, UNF's Alex Bacon took advantage of a 2-0 Craford pitch and hit a game-tying double to left field, scoring Marincov.
Rodriguez entered the game in relief following Bacon's double and got out of the inning, striking out Michael Wesner and getting Drew Weeks to fly out to center field.
The Gators left six men on base in the next three innings before Zunino delivered the go-ahead hit in the bottom of the 11th.
