Box Score (PDF)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Another outstanding pitching effort enabled the North Florida Baseball team defeat Lipscomb, 7-2 and clinch a berth into the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The Ospreys qualify for their second-straight postseason under Head Coach Smoke Laval.
 
North Florida now has won four of their last five conference games, improving to 11-12 against Atlantic Sun Opponents and 22-25 overall. The Bisons fall to 27-24 on the year and 14-9 in league play.
 
Junior Nick Miller picked up his first career victory pitching into the seventh inning. He struck out five batters and walked only one. The right-hander allowed the only two Lipscomb runs which came off a two-out single by Grant Massey and a wild pitch. Corbin Olmstead shut the door, tossing 2.1 hitless innings to preserve the victory. The sophomore was lights out, striking out five of the seven batters he faced.
 
The big hit of the game came off the bat of Alex Merritt in the bottom of the fourth inning. With two outs and the bases loaded, Merritt slapped an outside fastball down the right field line that he legged out for his first triple of the season. The three-bagger capped a four run rally in the fourth and gave the Ospreys a 7-1 advantage.
 
At the top of the lineup, Kyle Brooks reached base in all five at bats today, going 3-for-3 with two walks. He hustled out eighth double of the season in his final at bat. Junior Drew Weeks put forth his second third-straight multiple-hit effort, finishing the day 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
 
The Bisons were careful pitching to Olmstead, who started the game as the designated hitter, as he walked twice in the contest. He tied a career-high with three runs scored and ended the day 1-for-3. He has now hit safely in 14-straight games, the second longest this season by an Osprey.
 
The Massey RBI single tied up the game at one in the top of the third inning. The Ospreys responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead for good. The two runs came on the second double of the series by Alex Bacon. Massey was one of two Bisons with two hits on the day.
 
The North Florida offense took advantage of a Bison pitching staff that struggled with location. Lipscomb issued seven walks and hit a batter. All seven runs were earned with six of them charged to reliever Nick Andros.
 
Sunday will be the series finale where the Ospreys will look to go for the series sweep. Freshman Bryan Baker (2-3) will get the start for North Florida while Denton Norman (5-5) will get the ball for Lipscomb. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Harmon Stadium.