Power Surge Leads @OspreyBSB to Series Opening Win

Friday, April 25

Jacksonville, Fla.

6 p.m.

University of North Florida

18-23, 8-11

Stetson

17-27, 6-10

Stetson

North Florida

Photo by: ASUN Photos

4/25/2014 10:22:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida offense scored 11 runs on 13 hits in an 11-4 victory over Stetson University (17-27, 6-10) in the opening game of the Atlantic Sun Conference series this evening. Sophomore Corbin Olmstead hit two home runs and collected a career best six RBIs.

The win improves the Ospreys record to 18-23 on the year and move to 8-11 in Atlantic Sun play.

Olmstead ended the night 3-for-5 with two home runs, six RBIs and two runs scored. He was responsible for driving the first three Osprey runs of the ball game and capped a five-run fifth inning with a three-run homer down the left field line. Drew Weeks continued his hot hitting with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate. He ups his nation-leading average to .459 on the season.

Senior David Trexler turned in another dominating performance on the mound, earning his fifth victory of the season. He pitched into the seventh inning for the third-straight game and struck out five batters in the win. Four of his five wins this season have come against Atlantic Sun opponents.

The relief pitching of Tyler DuPont and Ryan McMahon kept Stetson off the scoreboard over the final 2.1 innings. DuPont surrendered only one hit and struck out three batters after taking over in the seventh. McMahon nailed down the ninth inning, tossing only 11 pitches and faced the minimum.

Batting next to each other in the order, the combination of Patrick Ervin and Corbin Olmstead helped the Ospreys jump out to a 3-0 lead. Ervin got aboard in the second on first hit of the night and scored from first on an Olmstead double to left center. In the fourth, Ervin was issued one of his three walks on the night and scored on Olmstead's first home run. Ervin finished the night going 2-for-3 with three walks, two runs scored and an RBI.

The flood gates opened in the bottom of the fifth and were finally shut after the second home run of the game by Olmstead. RBI singles by Ervin and Trent Higginbothem helped the Ospreys score five runs in the frame. The attack was not done for the night as three more runs scored in the bottom of the sixth. A Stetson error and a two-RBI double by Higginbothem put the Ospreys up 11-1, and the game out of reach for the Hatters. Higginbothem, who has feasted on conference pitching this season, finished with three RBIs on two hits in five turns at the plate. He leads the team with 37 RBIs, 31 of them coming against Atlantic Sun foes.

Stetson's Mike Fernland hit his third home run of the season of Trexler in the fifth. Three more runs came in the seventh for the Hatters on RBI singles by Kyle Zech and Garrett Russini. Zech and Russini were two of three batters to collect multiple hits for Stetson.

The two teams will play game two of the three-game series tomorrow at Harmon Stadium. The Ospreys will send Nick Miller (0-1) to the mound and he will be opposed by lefty, Austin Perez (1-6). First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.