FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3-25-00

College Baseball: No. 2 North Florida 4-4, No. 27 AASU 1-3

SAVANNAH, Ga. – No. 2-ranked University of North Florida swept a Peach Belt Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader from No. 27-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State, 4-1 and 4-3, on Saturday afternoon at Pirate Field.

AASU (25-9, 6-8 PBAC) took a quick 2-0 lead in the second game after dropping the first game to the Ospreys (28-8, 17-3 PBAC), 4-1. Brian Pickel drove in Jimmy LaRose on a fielder's choice, then scored on Nick Snow's RBI single. The Ospreys scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-2 lead, then added a key insurance run in the top of the sixth on Greg Labbe's RBI bunt single scored Brian Rapp.

The Pirates made a charge in the bottom of the seventh. Bryan Beckmann hit a one-out double, then after Billy Kiefer struck out, Brian Chester reached on UNF shortstop Jeff Stockton's error, giving the Pirates runners on first and third with two out. Chris Boaen's pinch-hit single through the right side drove home Beckmann, but Mike Wood came on to pitch for the Ospreys and retired Jimmy LaRose on a fielder's choice for the final out. Dan Roszel picked up the win for the Ospreys, while Wood recorded his second save. Jason Ackley suffered the complete-game loss for the Pirates, falling to 7-1 on the year.

In the first game, junior lefthander Adam Horne limited the Pirates to just one unearned run on six hits in a complete-game victory for the Ospreys. Horne struck out four and did not allow a Pirate runner to third base after AASU scored its lone run in the first inning on a Brian Pickel sacrifice fly. Nick Steppe hit a solo home run and the Ospreys used four consecutive hits in the top of the eighth inning to break a 1-all tie and take the 4-1 victory. B.J. Brinkmeier took the loss for the Pirates, slipping to 4-4.

The Pirates and the Ospreys will close out their three-game PBAC series with a single game on Sunday, March 26 at 1:00 p.m. at Pirate Field.

-Pirates-