University of North Florida
12-9
Quinnipiac
6-9
@OspreyBSB Evens Series After Big Offensive Day
3/19/2016 4:32:00 PM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three big innings guided North Florida (12-9) to a 12-8 victory over Quinnipiac (6-9) in the middle game of a three-game series. The Ospreys tied a season-high with 16 hits on the day.
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The Ospreys never trailed in the contest and seven players put forth multiple-hit efforts. North Florida jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning and had a commanding 7-1 advantage after three innings of play. The Ospreys have scored 21 first-inning runs this season and are 7-2 when they score first.
North Florida put together a second, four-run inning in the bottom of the seventh to put the game out of reach.
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Seniors Dakota Higdon, Corbin Olmstead and Kyle Brooks each had two hits and two RBIs on the day. Higdon, the second batter of the game for the Ospreys, plated the first North Florida run on a single to center. He later doubled to finish the day, 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
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With two more RBIs, Olmstead now has 28 on the season to lead the A-Sun. He extended his hit streak to 14 games and scored two runs on the afternoon. Brooks also was able to lengthen his reached-base streak to 15 games with an RBI single in the top of the first. At the plate he was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and tied a season-high with six assists in the field.
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Starting pitcher Tyler DuPont (2-0) was credited with his second win in as many starts after tossing 81 pitches in 6.2 innings. He struck out three batters and did not issue a walk. It is the second-straight start the Ospreys have spotted the left-hander a big lead, after the Ospreys scored the first seven runs of last Saturday's game against Hartford.
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Senior Nick Karmeris blasted his team-leading, fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the fifth. All five of his home runs this season have led off an inning. He finished the day, 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
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The Bobcats hit three home runs of their own including Joseph Burns' two run shot in the top of the ninth. The three homers are the most allowed by the Osprey pitching staff this season but North Florida is 3-0 in 2016 when opposing teams hit two or more. DuPont gave up his first home run since April of last year. He hadn't given up a long ball in his last 38.2 innings pitched. The Burns home run was part of a four-run ninth inning for the Bobcats.
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Christian Diaz and Chris Berry were both part of the Osprey two-hit crowd. Diaz's two-RBI double in the first inning was part of the North Florida four-run rally. He finished the day 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. In the field Diaz recorded a season-high, 15 putouts. Berry had his first two-hit game as an Osprey, going 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
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Junior Austin Howze worked 1.1 innings of scoreless relief coming on in place of DuPont. He did not surrender a hit and struck out one.
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The rubber game of the three-game series will take place tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. The Ospreys will trot out freshman lefthander, Austin Drury (1-0) and he will be opposed by righty Taylor Luciani (2-1).
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: DuPont, Tyler (2-0)
L: Hitt, Robert (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Nelson, Ryan 1
HR: Pescitelli, Robert 1 ; Burns, Joseph 1 ; Gibson, Ben 1
RBI: Batten, Matthew 1 ; Moskey, Brian 1 ; Pescitelli, Robert 3 ; Burns, Joseph 1 ; Gibson, Ben 1 ; Payero, Matthew 1
SF: Batten, Matthew 1 ; Moskey, Brian 1 ; Pescitelli, Robert 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Batten, Matthew 1 ; Moskey, Brian 1 ; Pescitelli, Robert 1 ; Burns, Joseph 1 ; Nelson, Ryan 1 ; Gibson, Ben 2 ; Bodenhamer, John 1
HBP: Bodenhamer, John 1
Batting:
2B: Higdon, Dakota 1 ; Skinner, Keith 1 ; Diaz, Christian 1
HR: Olmstead, Corbin 1 ; Karmeris, Nick 1
RBI: Higdon, Dakota 2 ; Olmstead, Corbin 2 ; Diaz, Christian 2 ; Karmeris, Nick 1 ; Brooks, Kyle 2 ; Berry, Chris 1 ; Ervin, Patrick 1
SH: Skinner, Keith 1 ; Ervin, Patrick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Thibideau, Chris 1 ; Higdon, Dakota 2 ; Olmstead, Corbin 2 ; Diaz, Christian 2 ; Karmeris, Nick 2 ; Brooks, Kyle 1 ; Berry, Chris 1 ; Ervin, Patrick 1
SB: Olmstead, Corbin 1 ; Skinner, Keith 1
HBP: Skinner, Keith 1
