The beginning of the 2020 season has been a struggle for the UNF baseball team and the team’s hitting has been one of their biggest growing pains.

“Our guys are trying to do too much and we got to find a way as a coaching staff to figure them out,” UNF Head Coach Tim Parenton said. “It’s one of those learning curves and we got to have guys getting a lot of playing time that haven’t played division one baseball.”

Similar to their first game of the series against Hartford, the Hawks’ pitching held the Ospreys in check despite a pair of late runs for a 13-2 loss for UNF. 

Logan Clayton started his third game for UNF and found trouble early in the first three innings, allowing two earned runs on a solo homer from Tyler Coppo and a sacrifice fly from John Thrasher for a 2-0 Hawks lead. 

With that 2-0 deficit, the Ospreys’ hitting couldn’t back up Clayton as Nathan Florence was rolling for Hartford. The junior pitched six scoreless innings against UNF with six strikeouts. 

After allowing a two-run homer to Tremayne Cobb Jr. in the fourth, Clayton was taken out of the game after going 3.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits. 

It was a bullpen day from that point on with Eddie Miller and Darin Kilfoyl appearing in mop-up roles

The duo pitched a combined 4.2 innings, allowed eight runs (six earned) on eight hits.

Matthew Tadlock made his season debut in relief for UNF and allowed a run on two hits and two walks to give the Hawks a 13-0 lead. 

The Ospreys finally got on the board in the ninth inning with a two-run jack by Ricky Presno, his second of the year to set the score at 13-2, Hawks. 

Spratling-Williams has begun to break out of his slump, going 3-for-7 in the past two games with a pair of extra-base hits (including a home run).

Florence collected the win, improving his record to 1-1 while Clayton was hooked with his second loss for an 0-2 record. 

With this loss, the Ospreys have dropped seven in a row and are now 2-7 as the Hawks improve to 3-2. 

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