Bats Come Alive Late, @OspreyBSB Clinches Series at Stetson

Saturday, May 2

DeLand, Fla.

6:30 p.m.

University of North Florida

34-13, 10-4

Stetson

24-24, 8-6

North Florida

Stetson

5/2/2015 10:26:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Box Score (PDF)
DeLAND, Fla. – The North Florida (34-13, 10-4 A-Sun) offense held off until the sixth inning but delivered mightily in a 9-1, series-clinching win over Stetson (24-24, 8-6 A-Sun) this evening. The Ospreys scored all nine runs in their final four trips to the plate.

Stetson starting pitcher Brooks Wilson, the Atlantic Sun Conference's leader in wins, was impressive early and did not surrender a hit until the fifth inning. He retired two of the first three batters in the sixth until the flood gates opened. The Ospreys began a two-out rally that plated five runs and knocked Wilson out of the ball game.

The gem, soon turned implosion, started with an RBI single by Ryan Roberson scored Donnie Dewees to tie the game at one. A batter later, Roberson scored from second on a single through the left side by Corbin Olmstead. The Ospreys continued to pepper the left side of the field and received run-scoring singles from James Abbatinozzi, Patrick Ervin and Garrick Ferguson.

When it was all over the Ospreys had scored five runs, collected five hits and sent 10 batters to the plate against three Stetson pitchers. The outburst gave North Florida a 5-1 advantage.

North Florida tacked on four more runs, three off the bat of Ferguson in the eighth when he belted his second homer of the spring. He finished with a game-high three hits, a run scored and four RBIs.

The Osprey pitching staff comprised of Bryan Baker, Tyler DuPont and Nick Miller did not surrender an earned run in the contest. DuPont came on in relief and was credited with his fifth win of the season after 3.1 innings pitched of scoreless baseball. Baker, the starter, pitched into the fifth but was lifted shortly after the unearned run crossed. Miller worked a clean ninth to close out the game. Each pitcher for the Ospreys struck out two batters and the three hurlers combined for only one walk.

Dewees put together his seventh consecutive multiple-hit effort by going 2-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. He extended his hit streak to 23 games and now has scored 70 runs on the season, the third highest single season total in program history.

The Ospreys, who sit alone in first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings, lead a trio of teams (Stetson, Lipscomb and Kennesaw St.) by two games. North Florida has now won the last two series against the Hatters and has never swept in nine previous three-game sets.

North Florida will look to capture its second Atlantic Sun series sweep of the season tomorrow in the series finale. Freshman right-hander Matt Vaka (2-0) is scheduled to make his 10^th start of the season for the Ospreys and will be opposed by sophomore Walker Sheller (2-7). Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. at Melching Field in DeLand, Fla.