AUBURNDALE, FL - A late surge by the Stockton University Ospreys would be the difference maker in the Florida finale for the Utica University baseball team as the Pioneers were downed by their counterparts, 9-3, on Thursday afternoon. 
 
DaShawn Hutchinson (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) and Tanner Warren (Mohawk, NY/Central Valley Academy) led Utica with two hits each while Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro), Jack Scanlon (Rochester, NY/Aquinas Institute), Andrew Salbinski (Essex, CT/Valley Regional) and Josh Duval (Utica, NY/Proctor) all had one. For Crossley, it was the 97th of his career as he nears the 100 hit club. The graduate student also drove in a pair of runs. 
 
Nicholas Greene (Rome, NY/Central Valley Academy) had a solid outing in his start, going 5.1 innings with three runs allowed, one earned, on seven hits and a walk. Austin Rhodes (Wappingers Falls, NY/Kennedy Catholic) picked up the loss after 2.1 innings in relief allowing three runs on three hits. Aidan McCue (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) finished the final 1.1 innings and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. He also had a team high two strikeouts. 
 
Stockton opened up the scoring in the 3rd with clutch two-out hitting. With no one on and two away the Ospreys' Tony Gatti singled and stole second base before being brought home on a Cooper Fiore triple. Fiore then scored on an error on the next at-bat. Stockton scored one more to lead 3-0 after 2.5 innings of play. 
 
The Pioneers scored once in the home half as Duval came around on an error to make it 3-1. It would be in the 5th where Utica would draw even. 
 
With the bases loaded and two away, Crossley roped a double to center field to send in Warren and Hutchinson to even the game. 
 
In the 6th with one out, Greene was replaced by Rhodes while the freshman held the Ospreys at bay over the next two innings. The Pioneers were also held silent at the dish as the game moved to the 8th even at 3-3. 
 
The first three batters of the frame would wind up serving as the difference makers. A leadoff single turned into an RBI double by Nick Avagnano while the next batter, Austin Beard, nailed a two-run home run to left to open the game up to a 6-3 Osprey lead. Rhodes got the next two batters out before McCue finished off the innings. 
 
Utica went down in order in the 8th while Stockton added three more runs in the 9th, all of which also came with two outs, to lead by six. The Pioneers went down in order again in the 9th to seal the contest. 
 
Utica (4-8, 0-0 Empire 8) will return to action on Wednesday, March 20 when the team travels to Hamilton College at 4 p.m.