Redshirt-Senior Wes Weeks and Junior Tanner Murphy combined for eight hits in a 5-4 victory against Missouri of the SEC. 

The Ospreys first got on the board with an RBI groundout by Junior David Maberry that scored Senior Chris Berry. In the bottom of the second, the Ospreys added an insurance run with an RBI single by Weeks, scoring Senior Alex Reynolds to extend the lead to 2-0.

Senior Brad Depperman toed the rubber for the Ospreys as he was cruising until the top of the third when he allowed a single to Sophomore Alex Peterson of the Tigers. Throughout the top of the third, Peterson stole second and later advanced to third on a balk by Depperman. Peterson later scored on an RBI groundout by Sophomore Chad McDaniel to put the score at 2-1.

Depperman pitched 4.1 innings of work when the ball was handed to Senior Nick Marchese for relief.

The Tigers tacked on another run in the top of the fifth when Peterson flew out to right, scoring Senior Connor Brumfield, tying the game at two.

Murphy put the Ospreys ahead in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single, scoring Weeks to give the Ospreys a 3-2 lead.

The Tigers answered in the sixth inning with a double to left from Junior Chris Cornelius which scored Sophomore Clayton Peterson, tying the game back at three.

Weeks answered in a big way in the bottom of the sixth as he mashed a home run that hit the scoreboard to give the Ospreys a 4-3 lead.

Cornelius followed up with a moonshot home run to left field that hit the top of the Ospreys batting cages to tie the game at four.

In the bottom of the eighth, Senior Jay Prather led the inning off with a double in the right-center gap and later advanced to third on a passed ball. Reynolds flied out to right field which allowed Prather to race home and push the lead to 5-4.

In the top of the ninth, Senior Trace Norkus was called in to shut the door and he delivered. Norkus gave up one hit and one walk and recorded a strikeout to earn his first save of the season.

Marchese got the win after pitching 3.2 innings and recording five strikeouts.

Weeks and Murphy each recorded four hits and the Ospreys had three extra-base hits in the win over Missouri.

UNF Baseball Manager Tim Parenton talked to Spinnaker about the home opener win.

“It was a great ballgame, anytime you play a team from the SEC on your field, you want to win them all. Every time we’d score, they’d score and it was a great job of our guys to keep scoring after they did,” Parenton said.

The Ospreys play game two of their home series against Missouri on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.

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