Florida Sports Wire

COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP: No. 1 Florida completes sweep of William & Mary, 5-3

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 1 Florida (7-1) used homers by junior Nolan Fontana and senior Preston Tucker to defeat William & Mary (2-5), 5-3, on Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium. The game was stopped with two outs in the top of the sixth due to heavy rains and unplayable field conditions.

The Gators’ fifth-straight win completed a weekend sweep of the Tribe.

“We didn’t really pitch ahead very much and we used a lot of pitches,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Nolan (Fontana) swung the bat well and (Preston) Tucker continues to swing the bat well too. We’ve got a lot of things we have to work on, but you have to compliment their pitchers. I thought they did a nice job all weekend. I think we need to hit a little better from top to bottom. There are guys that are having good games, but we just have to be more consistent.”

The Gators return to action on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series at No. 8 Miami (Fla.) (7-0). Game times from Alex Rodriguez Park will be 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday, with the finale to be carried live on Fox Sports Florida.

Jacksonville State 3, UNF 2

JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – A two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning propelled Jacksonville State to a 3-2 victory over the Ospreys on Sunday afternoon at Rudy Abbott Field in Jacksonville, Ala. The Ospreys (4-3) took the lead in the fourth inning, but the Gamecocks (1-4) tied the score in the fifth. UNF regained the lead in the sixth inning and held it until the pivotal bottom of the ninth.

North Florida out hit Jacksonville State 9-to-7, but had no extra base hits in the game. Both teams left five runners apiece on base. Defense was stellar for both teams with the Ospreys turning four double plays and the Gamecocks registering three. Both teams had one error apiece on failed pick off attempts.

On the mound, the pitching tandem of Nick Allbritton and Tyler Moore combined for 10 strikeouts compared to just five walks. Allbritton earned his first start for UNF, working 4.1 innings. He scattered four hits, allowing one run. Allbritton struckout four batters but allowed three walks. Moore entered the game in relief, tossing 4.1 innings. He surrendered two runs on two hits. Moore walked a pair and struck out six batters.

Offensively, Tyler Marino and Drew Weeks who each had two hits apiece led the Ospreys. Marino led the team with two RBI on the afternoon, while Joe Wielbruda scored both runs for North Florida.

North Florida returns to action with a pair of home games against Georgia Southern. The Ospreys and Eagles begin play on Thursday, Mar. 1 at 6 p.m. at Dusty Rhodes Field at Harmon Stadium.

FSU 2, FIU 1

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Eighth-ranked Florida State (6-1) received another stellar performance from its pitching staff on Sunday in taking the weekend series from FIU (1-5) with a 2-1 victory on Mike Martin Field inside Dick Howser Stadium.

FSU starter Peter Miller (1-0) kept the FIU hitters off-balanced the entire game allowing just one hit in 5.0 innings of work to earn his first career win. He finished the game with four strikeouts and five walks.

“I thought our pitching today was excellent,” said FSU head coach Mike Martin. “We are facing a ball club that if you make a bad pitch they have the ability to do something with it. FIU had an RPI of 21 last year. They know how to play; they are well coached. They pitched us tough, they played us tough, they made us earn everything this weekend

James Ramsey provided the offensive firepower for the Seminoles as he broke a scoreless game with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth. The senior captain pounced on a 2-0 offering from FIU starter Michael Ellis (0-1) taking the ball out of the park to right for his third home run of the season and 24th of his career. Ramsey finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk.

The Seminoles will next head to Clearwater for an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, February 29. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. inside Bright House Networks Field.

JU splits doubleheader against Northeastern

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Pitching was the theme on Saturday as the JU baseball team split a doubleheader against Northeastern at John Sessions Stadium. The Dolphins (2-5) secured a 4-1 game one win on freshman Alex McRae's solid outing. McRae (1-0) allowed an unearned run on eight hits and three strikeouts in eight innings.

Kevin Ferguson (1-0) matched McRae with eight innings in game two, while surrendering a run on four hits and six strikeouts to help the Huskies (1-2) earn an 8-1 win.

"Alex did a great job for us in the first game," JU head coach Terry Alexander said. "He put together another solid outing and the offense was able to get some early runs for him. We couldn't carry the offensive momentum into game two. Overall, we still are having trouble playing consistently the entire contest, but it's still early, and we will make the necessary adjustments."

The Dolphins continue their home stand on Tuesday against College of Charleston at 4 p.m.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Last second shot stuns JU women

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Larkira Jones took an inbounds pass and hit a layup with less than one second to play to cap a big comeback as North Florida knocked off JU 46-44 in an Atlantic Sun game at Swisher Gym Saturday.

Jones took the pass from Jadhken Kerr with 1.7 seconds to play turned and let go of her shot before the buzzer went off. Officials checked replays and concurred the shot was good.

The basket erased a 14-point deficit the Ospreys (13-16, 10-8) found themselves in with 18:33 to play when JU's Tracie Sneed connected on a jumper for a 30-16 lead.

The Dolphins (10-19, 8-10) appeared to have the game well in hand after a steal and jumper by Jessica George with 8:47 to play in the first half put JU up 11-10 and led to a 19-6 run which ended with Sneed's field goal.

UNF began clawing back and pulled to within five at 39-34 with 6:34 to play, to within one with 1:20 to go and tying at 44 with 40 seconds remaining.

UNF, which was only 14-59 from the field (24.7 percent), held the Dolphins without a field goal the last 4:31 and finished the game scoring the last 10 points.

JU's Abril Peeples led her team in scoring with 11 points, all in the first half, and was the only Dolphin in double figures. They shot 33 percent from the field for the game and 37 percent from the free throw line (3-for-8).

UNF's Brittany Kirkland led the Ospreys with 12 points and was her team's only double-figure scorer. The Ospreys were 16 of 21 from the line.

With the win, UNF swept the Dolphins for the season as they won at North Florida 51-36 in December.

Both teams now head to the A-Sun tournament this week in Macon, Ga. JU is the sixth seed.

AFL: Two additions join Jacksonville Sharks on camp's third day

JACKSONVILLE – The ArenaBowl XXIV Champion Jacksonville Sharks concluded minicamp on Saturday morning with the team’s third practice in as many days. Saturday’s workout took place at Glen Kernan Golf & Country Club and was the first practice of the season to be held on natural grass.

This practice began with a prolonged offensive walkthrough, highlighting the importance of installing the entire playbook at this stage of camp. The walkthrough tended to focus on running plays and screen passes.

Following individual drills, the team portion of practiced focused on the “red zone,” as the ball was never spotted farther than 15 yards away from the goal line. As opposed to Friday’s practice, in which Chris Leak took the first turn at quarterback, Omar Jacobs led off Saturday’s team session. Both quarterbacks again worked with a varied group of wide receivers.

Throughout the spirited team session, players on both sides seemed eager to work with full pads. Count offensive lineman Josh Vernon among those looking forward to Monday’s full-contact practice.

The practice concluded with the Sharks’ first special teams work of the season, as the coaching staff covered both kickoff coverage and kickoff returns. The group of players to line up at kick returner included, among others, newcomers Sean Mackey, Trey Williams and T.J. Wright.

New Faces

The Sharks were assigned two players on Saturday, WR/DB Bryan Evans and FB/LB Andres Morales. The 25-year-old Evans (5’10”, 180) is a Jacksonville native who played at Georgia, while the 23-year-old Morales (6’2”, 250) is a former Rutgers Scarlet Knight.

Both players participated in Saturday’s practice, as Evans worked at defensive back while Morales played fullback.

Secondary Coming Along

While every player on the team is competing for a roster spot and playing time, maybe the most intriguing position battle of camp thus far has been in the secondary. It appears that second-year veteran LaRoche Jackson will hold down one of the spots in the Sharks defensive backfield; however the remaining spots are open to a full competition.

The young secondary unit has shown flashes throughout the first two days of camp, and they continued to do so Saturday. The group combined for multiple pass break ups during team drills. However, the play of the day for the defense came in the form of an interception near the goal line by rookie T.J. Wright.

For a unit that has little Arena Football experience defensive coordinator Jake Grande is pleased at how fast the group is adapting to the indoor game.

“They’re adjusting well,” Grande said. “They’re picking up the little nuances of the game. It’s a lot different from the outdoor game. The ball comes out a lot quicker. They’re starting to realize that and they’re competing out here every day.”

One major difference between the Arena Football League and both college football and the NFL is that the offense may have one player in forward motion at the snap. This presents a new challenge for many of the Sharks’ young defenders. Throughout the first three days of practice, Grande has patiently helped his defensive backs refine their approach in dealing with that motion.

The secondary continued to bring a certain level of intensity to the practice field, something they have done since camp opened. Saturday marked the last practice before the team puts on pads for Monday’s practice. With the energy level already high, it is obvious the players are looking forward to hitting once the pads come on.

“Monday we put on the pads and that separates the men from the boys as they like to say in football,” Grande said. “We’ll see who’s real physical and who really wants to play once the pads are on.”

The Sharks did make one addition to the group of defensive backs Saturday. Former Georgia Bulldog Bryan Evans joined the Sharks training camp roster, adding one more person competing for a spot in the Sharks secondary. Evans in a Jacksonville native who most recently spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League.

“He’s a good player,” Grande said. “He’s been in the NFL and the UFL (United Football League) and we’re looking for him to come in and compete and see if he can earn a spot on this team.”

Up Next

The Sharks will not practice on Sunday, which will be the first off day since camp began. Instead, the team will undergo physicals conducted by the Sharks’ medical staff in advance of full-contact work.

The team returns to Plantation Park in St. Johns County on Monday for the first of three consecutive days of full-pad practices. Monday’s practice is open to the public and will begin at 8:30 a.m.

The Jacksonville Sharks are members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The ArenaBowl XXIV and back-to-back South Division Champions are presented by Sea Best Seafood and play all home games on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. Season Tickets for the 2012 season are now available, two tickets as low as $135.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Georgia upsets No. 11 Florida, 76-62

ATHENS, Ga.—Five Bulldogs tallied double-figure point performances as Georgia never trailed in a 76-62 upset win over the No. 11 Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia (13-15, 4-10 SEC) was led offensively by freshman guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and senior guard Gerald Robinson who scored 18 and 15 points, respectively.

Freshman forward Nemanja Djurisic led the Bulldogs with seven rebounds, and sophomore forward Donte’ Williams had a career-high six blocks.

“That was a great win for us,” said head coach Mark Fox. “We beat a great Florida team that we have a tremendous amount of respect for. It’s a big win for us and we’re very proud of it.

“It’s just a matter of shots going in. We didn’t change anything about our game, we didn’t do anything differently, and the ball was just going in. It had nothing to do with coaching, our guys just finished plays and the shots were dropping.”

Georgia shot nearly 55 percent from the field in the game.

Georgia led the entire first half, entering the locker room with a nine-point lead courtesy of an 8-2 run, capped off by a three-pointer from senior guard Dustin Ware, to end the half.

Georgia came out of the locker room right where it left off, extending its lead to 14 just eight minutes into the half. Florida cut the deficit to as few as five with just under two minutes remaining, but could never get any closer.

Georgia went 9-for-10 from the free throw line in the final three minutes of the game.

The Gators shot just 36 percent from the field on the afternoon. Florida was led by Bradley Beal who contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds.

With the win, Georgia improves to 107-98 all-time in its series with Florida, including 62-36 at home.

Georgia will travel to Lexington to take on No. 1 Kentucky on Thursday night. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 9:00 p.m. EST and will be nationally-televised ESPN.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UNF Osprey men earn sweep over JU Dolphins

The North Florida basketball team made a little bit of history Friday night after posting a 70-64 victory over crosstown rival Jacksonville in its regular season finale at Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Ospreys (16-15, 10-8 ASun) broke the program record for wins in a season, matched the program high for conference wins, established a new season high conference winning percentage and claimed the first regular season sweep of the Dolphins (8-21, 6-12). The win also extended UNF's current win streak to three and marked team's third straight win over JU.

Along with the team milestones, junior Jerron Granberry finished with a team-high 20 points becoming just the sixth player in UNF history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark in a career. Granberry entered the contest just seven points shy of the accomplishment.

Parker Smith added 17 points for the Ospreys, who had nine of their 10 players get in the scoring column in the win. UNF out-rebounded the Dolphins, 32-30, handed out 16 assists and made 18-of-23 free throws (78.3 percent) on the night.

Tevin Galvin finished with 17 points leading a trio of JU players in double digits. The Dolphins posted a 44-24 advantage on points in the paint.

“Our program continues to make unbelievable strides,” said UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll, who has led the team to improved win totals in each of his three seasons at the helm. “Again, the guys showed a great deal of resiliency, confidence and courage in this game. Overall it was another stellar team effort. I thought we played extremely well defensively, especially in the first half. We are definitely playing well and looking forward to getting start with tournament play.”

The Ospreys blitzed out of the gate opening the game with a 15-5 run over the first 10 minutes of play. UNF maintained a comfortable lead for most of the first half holding the Dolphins to just 6-of-18 from the floor. JU also struggled from the free throw line making just 5-for-15.

UNF closed the half with a flurry outscoring JU, 12-4, to build a 33-17 halftime lead. Smith and Granberry combined to score all the points with Smith making three free throws and a trey followed by back-to-back triples from Granberry including his milestone reaching basket. The 17 point output was the fewest points allowed by North Florida in a half this season and also the second fewest points scored in a half by Jacksonville.

The team's geared up the offenses after the break with the Dolphins matching their first half production just nine minutes into the second half, but UNF still led by 18 points, 49-31. JU surged with nine consecutive points to trim the Osprey lead to just nine over the next two minutes.

Matt Sauey and Travis Wallace made layups to turn back the JU rally and Smith drilled a trey at the end of the shot clock minutes later to push UNF back in front by 13. A couple of late buckets for the Dolphins made the final score a little closer.

North Florida finishes in fourth-place in the Atlantic Sun standings, the best finish in school history. The Ospreys open play in the upcoming General Shale Atlantic Sun Tournament at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday (Mar. 1) against the winner of Saturday's ETSU-FGCU game. UNF will be No. 4 seed with a FGCU victory and No. 5-seed with an ETSU win.