Box Score (PDF)
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Eastern Tennessee State University (17-17, 6-5 Atlantic Sun) strung together three big innings and held off a late charge by North Florida (15-20, 6-8 Atlantic Sun) for an 8-5 victory this afternoon at Thomas Stadium.
 
The Bucs scored three runs in two separate innings and later added a two-run seventh inning to fend off the Ospreys in game two of this weekend's three game set. The Ospreys rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull within a run and brought the tying run to the plate in their final turn at the plate.
 
The top of the lineup did most of the damage for North Florida, combining to go 9-for-20 with three runs and all five RBIs. Drew Weeks put together his fifth three-hit game of the season, finishing the day with three singles in five at bats. Trent Higginbothem drove in two more runs, upping his series total to five and his season total to 31. Kyle Brooks and Corbin Olmstead each had two hits, a run scored and an RBI.
 
It only took two hits in consecutive at bats for the Ospreys to plate the first run of the ball game in the top of the first inning. With two outs, Weeks singled up the middle and took advantage of a bobble by the left fielder, hustling all the way to second. The next batter, Higginbothem, sent a ball into the right centerfield gap that took one bounce and hopped over the wall for a ground-rule double.
 
Returning to the lead-off position in the lineup, Olmstead cracked his fifth home run of the season in the third inning to give the Ospreys an early, 2-0 lead.
 
The Bucs responded with one swing of the bat and an errant throw in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-2 lead. With two runners on Chris Riopedre ripped a double down the left field line that scored both runners. Advancing to third on the throw to the plate, Riopedre was awarded home as the throw got away from the catcher James Abbatnozzi and rolled into the ETSU dugout;
 
ETSU put another three-run inning together in the bottom of the fifth to give the Bucs a commanding, 6-2 advantage. The big blow in the frame came off the bat of Clinton Freeman who doubled to right centerfield, scoring the last two runs in the frame. Freeman finished the day going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.
 
After being held scoreless for three innings after the Olmstead homer by Bucs starter Jimmy Nesselt, the Ospreys broke through in the top of the seventh. Three-consecutive RBI singles by Kyle Brooks, Weeks and Higginbothem made the score 6-5 in favor of ETSU. The three-run outburst ended Nesselt's day, after he tossed 97 pitches and struck out four batters.
 
The two runs in the bottom of the seventh created some separation and came off a pinch-hit, two-RBI single by Jordan Sanford. For the second-straight day, Freeman closed out the game for the Bucs, this time earning his eighth save of the year.
 
The Atlantic Sun series will come to a close tomorrow afternoon with game three at 1:05 p.m. Lefthander Jamin McCann (2-3) will get the start on the mound for ETSU and he will be opposed by righty Corbin Olmstead (3-4).