Thursday, May 27, 2010

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - UNF broke out the big bats as all nine Ospreys collected a hit in a 13-2 victory against top-seeded FGCU on Thursday in the 2010 Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship.

T.J. Thompson collected four hits and drove in three to lead the offensive outburst. Preston Hale hit his third home run of the Championship, Justin Preckajlo added his team-leading 15th home run and Corey Bass added a three-run shot in the Ospreys’ five-run third inning.

Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column from UNF's victory HERE.

George Lott threw a complete game, in improving to 7-3, as he held the potent Eagles (38-19) to two runs on eight hits. His complete game represents the first in an A-Sun Championship game since Gardner-Webb's Ben Campbell threw one, in defeat, against Lipscomb on May 23, 2008.

Leading 2-1 entering the home half of the third, the Ospreys (30-27) added to their lead when Hale homered to left field with one out. Thompson singled home David Eldredge for the fourth and following a walk to Ryan Roberson, Bass hit the second home run of his career pushing the lead to 7-1. Single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings extended the lead to 9-1. FGCU scored its final run on an RBI double by Austin Gaines in the sixth. UNF pushed the lead to its final margin with four in the eighth inning.

Preckajlo and Hale each scored three runs as the Ospreys broke an eight-game losing streak to the Eagles. Prior to Thursday, UNF had not defeated FGCU since a 5-1 win on March 1, 2008 in a game that marked FGCU’s first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference contest. The 11-run margin of victory represented the widest suffered by FGCU to an A-Sun opponent. On April 5, 2008, Belmont beat FGCU, 12-5. The worst defeat an A-Sun opponent handed FGCU this season came on May 15 when Jacksonville posted an 8-4 win.

The Ospreys will face their River City rival, Jacksonville at 3:00 p.m. CT on Friday with the chance to advance to Championship Saturday. The Eagles will take on the loser of ETSU and Mercer at 11:00 a.m. CT on Friday. All the action will be broadcast, free of charge, on ASun.TV.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.