GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida Ospreys couldn’t get it done with the bat on Wednesday, falling to the No. 15 University of Florida Gators 6-1.

Redshirt senior Skyler Stockie started things off in the circle for UNF, tossing two scoreless innings. The Ospreys couldn’t take advantage of this, though, going hitless at the plate until the top of the third inning.

The following bottom frame is where things got out of hand for the visitors. Senior Halle Arends took over pitching duties and was quickly thrown into the fire. A pair of singles and a wild pitch set up the Gators’ first run of the evening, coming courtesy of a Reagan Walsh sacrifice fly.

Another wild pitch helped double the Florida lead, but the blue and orange weren’t done just yet. UF sophomore Sam Roe connected on a RBI double while facing a full count, extending the lead once more to 3-0.

The Ospreys have responded well to adversity plenty of times this season. The top of the fourth looked like it might be another example of this, as things got off to a positive start with a walk by freshman Kirsten Caravaca. This was compounded by a Chloe Culp single, putting two runners on base with just one out.

With UNF’s first runner in scoring position of the night, junior Abi Annett stepped to the plate. Facing an 0-2 count, she grounded into a double play, bringing about an anticlimactic end to the slight burst of life from the UNF offense.

It was much of the same during the next few innings. The Gators tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 4-0, but the game was still realistically within reach. All it would take was a spark.

While sophomore pitcher Ashley Connor chipped away at the Florida lineup, the UNF offense failed to produce that needed spark. The bottom of the sixth saw the Gators add another two runs with a pair of RBI doubles.

It took until the seventh inning, but the Ospreys finally broke through with a Logan Jackson RBI double, scoring UNF’s first run of the evening. It was too little, too late, though, as the Gators finished things off to win 6-1.

This marks UNF’s ninth-consecutive loss, a streak that dates back to March 26. During this stretch, the Ospreys have been outscored 49-19. They will have a much-needed chance to get things turned around with an upcoming weekend series against North Alabama. 

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