Box Score Game 1 (PDF)
Box Score Game 2 (PDF)
 
FORT MYERS, Fla. – North Florida (17-22, 6-10 Atlantic Sun) was able to earn a split in today's Atlantic Sun doubleheader against Florida Gulf Coast (25-15, 10-4 Atlantic Sun) behind a masterful, game two pitching performance by David Trexler.
 
Trexler allowed only one run and struck out a career-high 10 batters in the complete game win. The Osprey offense backed Trexler in game two, with six runs on 13 hits in the 6-1 victory. Eight unanswered runs by the Eagles in game one led to a 9-3 series opening win earlier in the day.
 
The Ospreys, the Atlantic Sun's top offense, totaled 25 hits in two games. Florida Gulf Coast could not keep North Florida junior Drew Weeks off the base paths. He was 7-for-10 in the Saturday twinbill with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs.
 
 
Game 1
Florida Gulf Coast hit four home runs, tallying eight runs in the final four turns at the plate. Cody Hoffner supplied the firepower for the Eagles, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs.
 
Coming into the contest, the Ospreys knew runs would come at a premium against right-hander Michael Murray. The sophomore came into the weekend with a league-low, 0.66 ERA and an Atlantic Sun best 59 strikeouts. Murray pitched eight strong innings, allowing only two runs in his ninth win of the year. The Ospreys collected 12 hits against Murray, the most by any opponent this season.
 
The initial lead of the ball game was captured by FGCU, when Colton Bottomley scored on a passed ball. Osprey starting pitcher Nick Miller kept the Eagles off the scoreboard for the next three innings despite two bases loaded opportunities for the home team. Miller was able to strand nine runners in 4.1 innings of work and FGCU left a total of 11 on base for the game.
 
Weeks knotted the game up at one in the top of the third with an RBI single up the middle that scored Kyle Brooks. An inning later, the Ospreys loaded up bases and were able to plate a run on a sacrifice fly by Trent Higginbothem to take a 2-1 lead. The North Florida third baseman has driven in a run in ten of the last 11 conference games.
 
FGCU turned the game around in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs. Two were courtesy of back-to-back, solo home runs by Michael Such and Cody Hoffner. The Eagles sent six more batters to the plate in the frame and scored two more runs on a single by Jake Noll and an RBI fielder's choice from Bottomley.
 
Hoffner put the game out of reach in the sixth with a three-run homer and gave the Eagles a commanding 8-2 lead. Prior to the game, FGCU had only hit two home runs at Swanson Stadium in 19 previous games. Nick Rivera went deep for the final Eagle run of the game in the bottom of the seventh to put FGCU out in front 9-2.
 
Weeks singled in each of his first three at bats, finishing the game with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate. Junior James Abbatinozzi also collected three hits and scored two runs for the Ospreys.
 
Game 2
 The story of game two was the pitching performance of Trexler who threw his first complete game of his career and struck out 10 batters. The 10 strikeouts were the most since Kyle Westwood fanned 11 against Lafayette early last season. In a stretch between the fourth and sixth innings, the senior right-hander retired nine-straight batters.
 
The Osprey offense tied a season-high with four doubles in the contest, two of them from Weeks. The right fielder was 4-for-5 with two runs and an RBI scored in the night cap. Peyton Walsh also put forth a multiple-hit effort with two hits in four at bats.
 
Weeks began what would turn out to be a three-run rally in the top of the fourth inning with a lead-off double to centerfield. Higginbothem followed up with his team-leading 33^rd RBI on a single to left. After moving over up on a sacrifice, he was able to score on a wild pitch to make the score 2-0. Ty Kelly singled in front of the left fielder to plate the final run of the inning.
 
The Ospreys scored runs in the fifth and sixth innings, extending their lead to 5-0. Weeks delivered his second double of the game in the fifth to score  Corbin Olmstead who led the frame off with his eighth double of the year. Another lead-off hit in the sixth turned into a run after Alex Bacon doubled to the gap in left center. A batter later, he came around on a sacrifice fly by Ty Kelly for the fifth run of the ball game.
 
Game three which was originally scheduled for 2:00 p.m. has been moved up to 12:00 p.m. in order to avoid late-arriving weather.