@OspreyBSB Completes Midweek Sweep of UCF for Record 12th Straight Win

Tuesday, May 12

Jacksonville, Fla.

6:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

UCF

@OspreyBSB Completes Midweek Sweep of UCF for Record 12th Straight Win

5/12/2015 10:18:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In a matchup of two of the top home run hitting teams in the country, North Florida outslugged UCF this evening, 10-5 at Harmon Stadium. The 2015 Ospreys eclipsed their own D-1 era record for consecutive wins and notched their 40^th win of the season for the second time in three years.

In a game that totaled five home runs, the most important long ball came off the bat of Ryan Roberson in the bottom of the fifth inning. After a crucial error at second base by UCF prolonged the inning, Roberson blasted a three-run shot on top of the batting facility in left field to put the Ospreys up 5-4.

The Ospreys went on to score five runs over the next two innings to complete the midweek sweep of the Knights for the first time since 2008. The game featured two of the top home run hitting clubs in the country. UCF came into the game with 57 homers (fifth in the country) and the Ospreys have now hit 53 out of the yard this season.

Roberson was a triple shy of the cycle, finishing the night 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Junior Kyle Brooks served as the sparkplug for the Osprey offense scoring on a wild pitch to make the game 4-2 and drove in two runs in the final three North Florida turns at the plate.

Left-handed slugger Donnie Dewees continued his hot hitting and broke the one-year old school record for the most hits in a season set by the Colorado Rockies seventh round pick, Drew Weeks last year. Dewees hit his 16^th home run of the season in the first inning to tie the hit record and legged out an infield single for his nation-leading 96^th hit of the year. He was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and extended the nation's longest active hit streak to 29 games in the process. Crossing the plate twice, he also broke a 15-year old school mark set by Kyle Catrett, and now has 79 runs scored in 2015.

Keeping up with one of the top statistical offenses in the country, the Osprey pitching staff struck out 11 batters, tied for the second-highest total of the season. Starting pitcher Tyler Moore was credited with five of them is now one of two Ospreys in the school's D-1 era to strike out 200 batters in a career. He was lifted in the fourth inning, allowing three runs on six hits.

Alex Smith was the first out of the bullpen for North Florida and was credited with his fifth win of the year. He fanned two batters and surrendered only one run in two innings of work. Senior Jamie Cardwell followed and worked an exceptional two innings, retiring all six batters he faced.

The Ospreys will conclude the regular season with a three-game series against Kennesaw State beginning on Thursday at Harmon Stadium. The series opener is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. first pitch followed by a 3:00 p.m. start on Friday and a 1:00 p.m. finale on Saturday.