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University of North Florida Athletics

Trexler
Dave Schofield
14
Winner North Florida UNF 11-10, 3-1 A-Sun
4
Northern Kentucky NKU 4-15, 0-1 A-Sun
Winner
North Florida UNF
11-10, 3-1 A-Sun
14
Final
4
Northern Kentucky NKU
4-15, 0-1 A-Sun
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
North Florida UNF 0 2 1 0 1 1 4 2 3 14 18 0
Northern Kentucky NKU 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 0

W: Trexler, David (2-1) L: COOPER, Cody (0-5)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Ospreys Power Past Norse in Series Opener


Box Score (PDF)
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – North Florida racked up 18 hits this afternoon in an 14-4 victory over Northern Kentucky (4-15, 0-1 Atlantic Sun). The Ospreys grabbed the Atlantic Sun series opener, improving their overall record to 11-10 and are now 3-1 in Atlantic Sun play.
 
As a team, North Florida compiled a season-high 14 RBIs while eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit.  Making his first start since March 9th, freshman Alex Merritt stepped up and went 3-for-5 with four RBIs on the day. Merritt's four RBIs are the most by an Osprey in one game this season. Trent Higginbothem drove in three runs and scored two more in a 2-for-3 effort at the plate. Junior Alex Bacon joined the three-RBI club, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
 
North Florida starting pitcher David Trexler pitched eight innings, his longest outing of his career, to earn his second win of the season. He allowed four runs and struck out five batters in the contest.
 
The Osprey offense exploded for nine runs in their final three turns at the plate. The first four innings were tightly contested until Merritt broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the sixth inning with a single to right that scored Ty Kelly. North Florida broke the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh, followed by two in the eighth and three more in the ninth.
 
The two teams engaged in a back and forth battle over the first five innings. The Ospreys struck first in the top half of the second inning. Kelly plated the first North Florida run on an RBI ground and Merritt followed with a single for his first RBI of the afternoon.
 
The Norse answered in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs on three hits. Left-handed hitting Caleb Kellogg lined a double down the left field line to score the first run of the ball game for Northern Kentucky. The Norse tied the game up on a two-out single by Josh Myers.
 
Higginbothem gave the Ospreys their first lead of the day in the top of the third on an RBI single to right that scored Drew Weeks. The resilient Northern Kentucky squad recaptured the lead in the bottom of the fourth, with a pair of runs to make the score 4-3. Another Higginbothem RBI single tied the score up at four and the Norse were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
 
Weeks scored three times in the game and went 3-for-5 at the plate. His hitting streak is now at 29 games dating back to last season, tying the school record held by Kyle Caltrett. He leads the team with 17 runs scored in 2014 and ups his average to an Atlantic Sun leading .447.
 
The Ospreys went out with a bang in the ninth inning, scoring three runs on a pair of home runs. Kelly hit his first career home run, clearing the left field wall to jump start the frame. Two batters later, pinch hitter Nick Karmeris hit his first dinger of the spring out of the deepest part of the ballpark in straightaway center. Kelly finished the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Sophomore Kyle Brooks rounded out the multiple-hit performers with two hits and a run scored.
 
The two teams will continue the three game series tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. North Florida will send its team leader in wins, Evan Incinelli (3-1) to the hill and he will be opposed by NKU's right hander Wendell Wright (0-1). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Bill Aker Baseball Complex at Friendship Field.
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