Box Score (PDF)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida baseball team came away with its 10
th victory of the season this evening, defeating Savannah State (9-14) by the score of 8-7. Freshman
Bryan Baker earned his first collegiate win, tossing five innings and striking out three in the victory.
The win evens the Ospreys record to 10-10 on the season. Junior
Drew Weeks broke the Division I School record for consecutive games with a hit, blasting a double into right field in his final turn at the plate. He has now hit safely in 28-straight games dating back to last season, breaking former teammate
Tyler Marincov's record of 27 in 2013.
Sophomore
Corbin Olmstead went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored in the contest. He began the game for the Ospreys with a long home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning. The designated hitter blasted his second long ball of the season off the top of the Osprey hitting facility in left field.
Baker surrendered two runs in the top of the first inning, allowing the Tigers to jump out to an early 2-0 lead. From there he was lights out, pitching four scoreless innings. He retired the final six batters in order in his third start of the season.
The Ospreys knotted the game up at two in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly by
Alex Bacon that scored
Ryan Roberson.
Ty Kelly gave North Florida the lead in the fourth inning on a two-out single to center field that scored
Patrick Ervin.
North Florida broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh posting four runs on three hits. Olmstead recorded his second and third RBIs of the night on a double down the right field line. He came in to score on a Weeks' record-breaking hit to make the score 7-2.
Trent Higginbothem drove in the final Osprey run of the frame, scoring Weeks who advanced to third on his seventh stolen base of the season the pitch prior.
Savannah State made things interesting in their final two turns at the plate. Charles Sikes hit a solo homer to left in the top of the eighth and the Tigers scored four unearned runs in the top of the ninth. Redshirt freshman
Alex Smith struck out two and induced the game-ending ground out, stranding the tying run on second base.
Peyton Walsh joined Ervin and Olmstead in the Osprey multiple-hit category on the night. Walsh singled in the eighth and eventual deciding run in the bottom of the eighth inning. He finished the night going 2-for-4 with a run scored. He ups his season average to .318 on the year, good for fourth on the team
The Ospreys will head north to resume conference play this weekend when they take on Northern Kentucky. The three-game series will commence on Friday at 3:00 p.m. in Highland Heights Kentucky.