Featured image by: Darvin Nelson

It was easy like Sunday morning for freshman Tony Roca as he tossed seven innings of one-run ball to earn his first win as an Osprey.

“I just wanted to go out there and do as best as possible,” Roca said. “The goal was to get as many outs as I could and that’s what I did.”

Behind Roca’s gem, the infield played one of their best games yet, turning a pair of double plays and making impressive stops. 

The Hawks got on the board first with a sacrifice fly to center from Tim Dickson for a 1-0 lead in the fifth.

Chris Matthias tied the game at one in the fifth with a scorching single to left to drive in a runner. 

Zach West followed suit with a single to score two runners for a 3-1 lead and sparked UNF’s offense. 

“He (West) did a great job stepping in there and getting a big hit when we needed it to get some distance between us and a different team,” UNF Head Coach Tim Parenton said. 

Trey Spratling-Williams continued his hot hitting in the series with a no doubt two-run jack to left-center to give the Ospreys a 5-1 lead in the sixth.

Roca lasted two more innings until he was taken out after the seventh inning. His final line was seven innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits and struck out two.

Tanner May and Ricky Presno joined the party with a pair of RBI singles each to extend the lead to 7-1 in the seventh.

Zach Chappell came in relief for Roca and went 1.1 innings, allowing an earned run on three hits.

After Chappell exited the game in the ninth, Eddie Miller stepped in and recorded the final two outs to secure the the 7-2 UNF win. 

Presno was the only Osprey to reach base four times in the win over Hartford.

Matthias had a day with three singles, boosting his batting average to .333.

Roca earned the win and Ken Turner was hooked with the loss after a short start, lasting 4.1 innings, allowing three earned runs and walking four. 

The Ospreys improve to 3-7 and the Hawks drop to 3-3. 

UNF stays home for their four-game series against Central Michigan beginning on Friday, March 6 at 6:05 p.m. 

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