University of North Florida
14-8
Brown
1-9
@OspreyBSB Extends Win Streak, Completes Four-Game Sweep of Brown
3/15/2015 3:22:00 PM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In another impressive offensive display, North Florida (14-8) completed a weekend sweep of Brown (1-9) with a 16-6 victory this afternoon at Harmon Stadium. The Ospreys have now won eight in a row, tying the program's, Division I record for consecutive wins.
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The Ospreys racked up 18 hits on the day and scored 10 or more runs for the fourth time in the last six games. For the series, the Ospreys outscored the Bears, 47-25 and marked North Florida's first four-game series sweep in program history.
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Lead-off man Kyle Brooks paced the Osprey attack with a career-high four hits. He finished the day, 4-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Senior Garrick Ferguson was a perfect, 3-for-3 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and three RBIs.
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North Florida got a quality start on the mound by senior Evan Incinelli who pitched six innings and allowed only one run. The Osprey defense turned three double plays behind him and got two stellar plays at third base by Trent Higginbothem. Incinelli got plenty of support at the plate, leaving the game with a 9-1 lead. The right-hander was credited with his second win and evens his record in 2015 to 2-2.
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The Ospreys never trailed in the contest, scoring the first seven runs. Back-to-back three run rallies in the third and fourth inning marked the end for Brown starting pitcher, Reid Anderson. Higginbothem kicked off the scoring with an RBI single in the third that scored Donnie Dewees. A balk and a Keith Skinner single capped a three-run third inning. Two walks to lead off the fourth followed by a single and a hit by pitch started the rally. Brooks delivered the knockout blow with a single up the middle that scored two runs, making the score, 6-0.
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Brooks also led the four-run charge in the sixth with an RBI single that scored Dakota Higdon who doubled to start the inning. Higginbothem's 26th RBI of the season followed by a two-RBI by Ferguson blew the game open, giving the Ospreys a commanding, 11-1 advantage.
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Higginbothem was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. He now is batting .379 on the season and leads the Atlantic Sun with 26 RBIs. Dewees extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a single the bottom of the third and lead the team with a .414 batting average. The Ospreys also got multiple-hit efforts from Nick Karmeris and Patrick Ervin.
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Pinch-hitting in the eighth, sophomore Alex Merritt hit his first career home run that capped a six run-rally. He belted the first pitch he saw off the roof of the batting facility in left field.
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The Ospreys will take on cross-town rival Jacksonville in a non-conference game at John Sessions Stadium on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. The game will not count in the annual season River City Rumble series or the Atlantic Sun Conference standings.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Incinelli, Evan (2-2)
L: Anderson, Reid (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Henry, Robert 1
3B: Henry, Robert 1
RBI: Henry, Robert 2 ; Shulman, Noah 1 ; Kerr, Dan 1 ; Marcal, Will 1 ; Levine, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Henry, Robert 1 ; Shulman, Noah 1 ; Huntley, Josh 1 ; Ginsberg, Brian 1 ; Levine, Jake 1 ; Fornaca, Nick 1
HBP: Sluys, Mark 1
Batting:
2B: Skinner, Keith 1 ; Ferguson, Garrick 1 ; Higdon, Dakota 1
HR: Merritt, Alex 1
RBI: Brooks, Kyle 3 ; Higginbothem, Trent 2 ; Skinner, Keith 1 ; Karmeris, Nick 1 ; Abbatinozzi, James 1 ; Ferguson, Garrick 3 ; Ervin, Patrick 1 ; Merritt, Alex 2
SF: Abbatinozzi, James 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brooks, Kyle 2 ; Dewees, Donnie 2 ; Higginbothem, Trent 3 ; Skinner, Keith 1 ; Olivera, Bubba 1 ; Abbatinozzi, James 1 ; Ferguson, Garrick 2 ; Ervin, Patrick 2 ; Higdon, Dakota 1 ; Merritt, Alex 1
CS: Karmeris, Nick 1 ; Ferguson, Garrick 1
HBP: Higdon, Dakota 1
