@OspreyBSB Clinches Fifth-Straight A-Sun Series

Friday, May 20

Newark, N.J.

1:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

36-17, 14-6

NJIT

17-35, 2-17

North Florida

NJIT

5/20/2016 5:01:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Scott Fitzgerald | Athletic Communications

Box Score (PDF)
NEWARK, N.J. – North Florida (36-17, 14-6 A-Sun) captured its fifth-straight Atlantic Sun Conference series with a 9-2 game two victory at NJIT (17-34, 2-17). The Ospreys peppered NJIT with 15 hits and improve to 29-3 when collecting 10 or more hits in a game.

Senior Dakota Higdon was a large portion of the Osprey offense with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate. He tallied two doubles and scored four times in the contest. The four hits and four runs were both career highs for the Osprey outfielder.

Chris Thibideau blasted his eighth home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning. He bookended the Osprey scoring, driving in the first run of the contest in the top of the first and the last via the long ball in the ninth. He finished the day 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. He leads the team with 11 bags swiped on the year.

Freshman Austin Drury delivered another solid starting pitching performance with just 68 pitches in five innings pitched. The lefty retired the first eight batters he faced and struck out three. He recorded his team-leading sixth win of the season and is now 5-1 against A-Sun opponents.

After the Ospreys tacked on another run in the top of the second inning, NJIT pulled within one on a two-out RBI double off the bat of Evan Pietronico in the bottom of the third. The two-bagger was the 21^st of the season for Pietronico which is tops in the Atlantic Sun.

The Ospreys created some separation and took control of the game in the top of the fifth with a four-run rally. The big hit of the frame came off the bat of Alex Merritt who doubled to left-center, scoring two runs. He moves into the team lead with Keith Skinner with his 14^th double of the year.

Skinner was one of four Ospreys with three or more hits. The Berkeley Heights, N.J. native went 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Designated hitter Corbin Olmstead also racked up three hits and went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. He now leads the team with 54 RBIs on the season.

Senior Kyle Brooks registered his 66^th hit of the season in the 2^nd inning and extended his reached base streak to 17 games.

The North Florida bullpen held down the second comfortable lead in as many games with four innings of four-hit baseball. Junior Alex Smith stranded four runners in two innings pitched. He struck out three batters and lowered his season ERA to 1.17. Brad Deppermann allowed one run on two hits in the final two innings of the game, his first relief appearance of 2016.

The Ospreys will go for the sweep in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Riverfront Stadium in Newark North Florida will have Frank German (1-4) on the mound and he will be opposed by Tommy Derer (2-4).