Baseball Begins ASUN Play With Win Against No. 14 Liberty, Splits Twin Bill

Saturday, March 19

Jacksonville, Fla.

1:05 p.m.

University of North Florida

7-11, 1-0

Liberty

12-4, 0-1

Liberty

North Florida

Byars had a career-best four hits in game one.

Baseball Begins ASUN Play With Win Against No. 14 Liberty, Splits Twin Bill

3/19/2022 10:07:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

McKinley Deals While Spratling-Williams and Byars Go Deep in Game One Win

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Max McKinley dealt, Trey Spratling-Williams and Isaiah Byars went deep and North Florida bounced No. 14 Liberty (13-4, 1-1 ASUN), 5-2, in the ASUN opener Saturday, March 19 as UNF baseball (7-12, 1-1 ASUN) split the conference-opening twin bill with the Flames.

The Flames rebounded to take the second game, 11-5, setting up a rubber match Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

McKinley was surgical in 7.1 innings of work and two long balls in the sixth lifted UNF past Liberty in the opener. Stephen Halstead nailed down the save, spinning a scoreless ninth for his second save of the year. The win marked UNF's first victory against Liberty as ASUN foes, snapping a losing skid against the Flames that had dated back to 2014.

Game 1: UNF 5, #14 Liberty 2

Pitchers of Record
Win: Max McKinley (2-1)
Loss: David Erickson (1-1)
Save: Stephen Halstead (2)

Line Scores
LIB | 2R, 7H, 0E, 4 LOB
UNF | 5R, 12H, E, 9 LOB

Behind the Line Score

Liberty jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run home run from Stephen Hill.
UNF replied by scoring one in the first. Abraham Sequera walked, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Cade Westbrook's single.
The Ospreys evened it 2-2 in the third after inning-opening doubles from Isaiah Byars and Sequera.
The long balls came in a flurry in the sixth, vaulting UNF to a 5-2 lead. Trey Spratling-Williams hit a two-run home run to dead center and Byars followed with a line drive home run off the scoreboard in left.
The UNF bullpen combined to spin 1.2 scoreless behind McKinley as UNF closed things out on Liberty.

Statistical Leaders
Liberty

Stephen Hill | 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Joe Adametz | ND, 5.0 IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 3K

UNF

Trey Spratling-Williams | 3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2B
Isaiah Byars | 4-for-5, 2R, RBI
Abraham Sequera | 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI
Max McKinley | W, 7.1 IP, 5H, 2ER, 0BB, 7K

Game 2: #14 Liberty, 11, UNF 5

Pitchers of Record
Win: Trey Gibson (3-0)
Loss: Zach Chappell (0-3)

Line Scores
LIB | 11R, 12H, E, 12 LOB
UNF | 5R, 11H, E, 12 LOB

Behind the Line Score

Just as game one went, Hill launched a two-run home run to left center for a 2-0 Liberty lead in the first.
The Flames added one more thanks to a walk, stolen bag, wild pitch and a single in the second.
UNF got two on with nobody out, but Liberty's Trey Gibson dialed things in to strand two Ospreys in the second.
Liberty worked two-out baserunners again and eventually benefited from a two-out fielding error to put up two more in the third.
LU made it 7-0 in the fourth thanks to two singles and a double.
Hill kept his blazing hot day going with a two-run home run in the fifth.
UNF broke up the shutout in the fifth thanks to Tyler Gerteisen's pinch hit bases-loaded walk.
Brady Gulakowski hit a towering two-run home run to right center, giving Liberty an 11-1 lead in the sixth.
Brock Edge launched a no-doubt grand slam to right field in the seventh, cutting the deficit to 11-5.

Statistical Leaders
Liberty

Stephen Hill | 3-for-4, 2 HR, 4RBI, 2BB
Brady Gulakowski | 2-for-6, HR, 2R, 3RBI
Aaron Anderson | 2-for-6, R
Trey Gibson | W, 5.0IP, 5H, ER, 3BB, 8K

UNF

Abraham Sequera | 2-for-3
Justin Holmes | 2-for-4, R
Brock Edge | 2-for-4, GS, 4RBI

Notes

This was UNF's second doubleheader in as many weeks.
This marked the first regular season ASUN games between these two teams at Harmon Stadium.
This was UNF's highest-ranked win since defeating No. 21 Georgia March 5 of last year.
UNF snapped a six-game losing streak to Liberty.
UNF's last win against Liberty was Feb. 14, 2014.
This was UNF's first win against Liberty as ASUN foes.
Edge's grand slam was UNF's first grand slam since Byars launched one against Jacksonville April 25 of last year.
Game one marked Byars' first four-hit game as an Osprey.
Aidan Sweatt had his hitting streak snapped at 10 games.