Clinging to a one-run lead in the seventh, Georgia Southern put Tuesday night’s non-conference game squarely on the shoulders of senior reliever A.J. Battisto.
And at first, the outcome looked uncertain.
With a runner on and two out, Battisto walked the first batter he faced, North Florida’s No. 9 hitter. But the right hander settled down quickly, striking out the next four Ospreys to preserve the Eagles’ 5-4 victory at J.I. Clements Stadium.
The win — along with a strong showing from its bullpen — was a welcomed sight to a Georgia Southern (19-18) team heading into a key weekend series against Southern Conference foe the College of Charleston. The Eagles have now won two straight after dropping nine of 10 games.
“I didn’t want to let the team down going into this weekend,” said Battisto, who earned his fourth save. “It feels good to put back-to-back wins together, without a doubt.”
Eagle relief pitchers Burt Bart, David Cogswell and Battisto combined for six shutout innings. Barto picked up his first win this year, allowing one hit over three innings while walking three and striking out three.
“The thing to build on is the effort we are getting from our bullpen,” Eagle coach Rodney Hennon said. “What we need to do is give those guys a few more runs to work with.”
The Eagles jumped on top early, taking a 4-0 lead in the second on Matt Miller’s RBI double, a two-run single by Jeremy Beckham and Griffin Benedict’s RBI base hit. GSU went up 5-0 an inning later on a RBI double by Jeremiah Parker, which proved to be the difference in the game.
Benedict was 3-for-3 to lead the Eagles’ 10-hit night.
“As a whole we took some better swings,” Hennon said. “Putting a couple games together helps going into the weekend, but we’ve still got to do some things better offensively. There were some mistakes we made on the bases, and as far as the situational hitting, we’ve got to execute better.”
All four of North Florida’s runs came in fourth when the Ospreys chased GSU starter John Ducey after Brian Wilson’s three-run double to the gap in right-center cut the Eagle lead to 5-3. The visitors pulled within a run before the inning was over on Preston Hale’s RBI sacrifice fly.
North Florida went through three pitchers in the first three innings before designated hitter Travis Martin took the mound in the third. He hushed the Eagle bats, throwing five shutout innings and allowing four hits.
The Eagles improved to 2-0 on the season against the Ospreys. GSU scored six runs in the top of the ninth for a 13-9 at North Florida two months ago.
Georgia Southern hosts the College of Charleston for a three-game series beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
And at first, the outcome looked uncertain.
With a runner on and two out, Battisto walked the first batter he faced, North Florida’s No. 9 hitter. But the right hander settled down quickly, striking out the next four Ospreys to preserve the Eagles’ 5-4 victory at J.I. Clements Stadium.
The win — along with a strong showing from its bullpen — was a welcomed sight to a Georgia Southern (19-18) team heading into a key weekend series against Southern Conference foe the College of Charleston. The Eagles have now won two straight after dropping nine of 10 games.
“I didn’t want to let the team down going into this weekend,” said Battisto, who earned his fourth save. “It feels good to put back-to-back wins together, without a doubt.”
Eagle relief pitchers Burt Bart, David Cogswell and Battisto combined for six shutout innings. Barto picked up his first win this year, allowing one hit over three innings while walking three and striking out three.
“The thing to build on is the effort we are getting from our bullpen,” Eagle coach Rodney Hennon said. “What we need to do is give those guys a few more runs to work with.”
The Eagles jumped on top early, taking a 4-0 lead in the second on Matt Miller’s RBI double, a two-run single by Jeremy Beckham and Griffin Benedict’s RBI base hit. GSU went up 5-0 an inning later on a RBI double by Jeremiah Parker, which proved to be the difference in the game.
Benedict was 3-for-3 to lead the Eagles’ 10-hit night.
“As a whole we took some better swings,” Hennon said. “Putting a couple games together helps going into the weekend, but we’ve still got to do some things better offensively. There were some mistakes we made on the bases, and as far as the situational hitting, we’ve got to execute better.”
All four of North Florida’s runs came in fourth when the Ospreys chased GSU starter John Ducey after Brian Wilson’s three-run double to the gap in right-center cut the Eagle lead to 5-3. The visitors pulled within a run before the inning was over on Preston Hale’s RBI sacrifice fly.
North Florida went through three pitchers in the first three innings before designated hitter Travis Martin took the mound in the third. He hushed the Eagle bats, throwing five shutout innings and allowing four hits.
The Eagles improved to 2-0 on the season against the Ospreys. GSU scored six runs in the top of the ninth for a 13-9 at North Florida two months ago.
Georgia Southern hosts the College of Charleston for a three-game series beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
Alex Pellegrino can be reached at (912) 489-9413.
