THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 3, North Florida 2
LOCATION: Harmon Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
RECORDS: Hartford (3-0); North Florida (3-5)
 
THE LEAD: Brian Murphy put together a stellar performance on the mound and TJ Ward came up with a huge two-run double to propel the Hartford baseball team to a 3-2 win and a series sweep over North Florida. The Hawks open their 2016 season on a three-game winning streak.
 
Sam McKay picked up the save, and David MacKinnon reached base in all three of his plate appearances with a double, a single and a walk. Nick Karmeris had two hits and an RBI for the Ospreys.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
·         The Hawks jumped on the scoreboard right away, taking a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. After MacKinnon and Erik Ostberg singled to put two men on with two out, Nick Campana drove MacKinnon in with an RBI single through the left side to give the Hawks an early advantage.
·         Murphy went right to work in the bottom half of the inning, forcing three quick outs and picking up a strikeout on Karmeris.
·         North Florida managed to push across a run in the bottom of the fourth when Karmeris hit a home run to centerfield, and that tied the game early on at one apiece. The Ospreys hit back-to-back singles with two outs to threaten to take the lead, but Murphy got out of the jam by forcing Patrick Ervin to ground out.
·         The Hartford bats came alive in the top of the sixth when the Hawks managed to put together another scoring bout with two outs. After MacKinnon doubled to open the inning, Ostberg picked up a one-out walk, and both runners advanced 90 feet when Campana grounded out to shortstop. Ward then stepped up to the plate and ripped a two-run double to left for his third hit of the season to put the Hawks ahead 3-1.
·         Murphy silenced the Osprey bats for the length of his outing, going 7.1 innings and holding the home team to just one run over five hits. He added three strikeouts, including two in the seventh inning to retire the side.
·         Collin Ferguson took over for Murphy with two on and one out in the eighth inning, and the righty forced Keith Skinner to ground into a double play to end the inning on just two pitches.
·         Justin Cashman was sent to the mound to go for the save in the ninth, but after walking his first two batters, head coach Justin Blood called on McKay to try and shut the door. McKay forced Corbin Olmstead to ground into a double play and put the Hawks one out away from the sweep.
·         North Florida did not go quietly, though, as Ervin singled in the man on third to pull the Ospreys within one of the Hartford lead. But McKay ended the Osprey rally by getting Chris Thibideau to ground out to third, and the Hawks rose victorious again, picking up the series sweep on the road.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
·         The Hawks have scored all but one of their 14 runs on the season with two outs. The lone run that came with less than two outs turned out to be the game-winning run yesterday, which gave Hartford a 9-8 lead that it would hold for the win in game two of the series.
·         Ostberg is the current Hawks leader in hits (6) on the season. It took Ostberg seven games to reach the six-plus hit mark a season ago.
·         Hartford has received offense from many different sources early on, with Ward, Billy Walker, and Chris DelDebbio all leading the squad with three RBIs apiece.
·         This game marks the deepest that Murphy has gone in a victory (7.1 innings) in his Hawks career. The senior added three strikeouts.
·         Murphy did not walk anyone in the contest, and this is the fifth win of his career without surrendering any free passes.
 
NEXT UP:
The Hawks will resume play next weekend when they travel to Radford, Va., to take on the Radford Highlanders in another three-games series. Friday's contest will begin at 4:00, while Saturday's game starts at 2:00 and the series finale will take place on Sunday at 1:00.