JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Interstat) — Matthew Farner homered and drove in three runs to lead North Florida to a 5-1 victory over West Georgia on Saturday afternoon at John Sessions Stadium in an ASUN conference series finale.

The Ospreys won the game in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Farner cracked a two-run homer to right field that broke open a one-run contest and gave North Florida a 5-1 lead. The home run capped a three-RBI day for the shortstop, who went 2 for 4 and scored once. It was the third consecutive game in which Farner collected at least two hits and three RBIs against the Wolves, following a 2-for-4, three-RBI performance Friday and a 1-for-1, one-RBI outing Thursday.

North Florida (31-22) used a committee of six pitchers to hold West Georgia to one run on six hits. Jeremiah Stewart earned the win, working 2 2/3 innings and allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out one. Clay Hendry followed with two scoreless innings, surrendering one hit and striking out two. John Costa pitched two hitless innings with one strikeout, and Tyler Kozera contributed 1 1/3 scoreless frames with two hits allowed and two strikeouts. Devin Diggs started and tossed a perfect first inning before giving way to Stewart. Davis Williams also threw a scoreless inning.

West Georgia starter Lex Kenny took the loss despite a strong outing. Kenny pitched five innings, allowing one earned run on no hits while striking out five. He walked one and hit a batter. Kenny exited after the fifth inning with the score tied 1-1, but the Wolves bullpen could not hold the Ospreys offense in check.

The Wolves (13-41) took an early lead in the top of the fourth. Patrick McCullough singled, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. After a hit-by-pitch put Mason Cooper on first, Blane Schmitt singled through the left side to score McCullough, giving West Georgia a 1-0 advantage.

North Florida answered in the bottom half of the inning. Boone Hosey led off with a double to left field and advanced to third on a flyout. Santiago Ordonez then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Hosey and tying the game at 1-1.

The Ospreys took the lead for good in the sixth. Reliever Evimael Quiles, who replaced Kenny to start the frame, issued a leadoff single to Carter White and a walk to Boone Hosey. After a flyout moved White to third, Ordonez delivered another sacrifice fly to center field, scoring White and making it 2-1 North Florida.

West Georgia threatened in the top of the sixth when Hank Smith doubled to left-center and Jacob Bowman was hit by a pitch, but Hendry induced a flyout to end the inning.

The decisive moment came in the seventh. After West Georgia reliever Gavin Mask walked Mitchell Collins, Farner stepped to the plate with two outs and launched a two-run homer to right field, scoring Collins and stretching the lead to 5-1. Mask, who had entered in relief of Quiles, was charged with two earned runs on one hit and two walks in one inning.

North Florida finished with nine hits, including two from Farner and two from Tyler Gerteisen, who singled twice. The Ospreys also made two sacrifice flies, both by Ordonez.

West Georgia’s offense was led by Schmitt, who drove in the team’s only run. Hank Smith doubled and Jacob Bowman singled. The Wolves struck out 11 times and left nine runners on base.

The series win was the third in a row for North Florida over West Georgia, dating to the previous weekend when the Ospreys took two of three in Carrollton, Georgia. The Ospreys have now won five of the last six meetings between the two schools.

West Georgia concludes its season with a 13-41 record. North Florida improves to 31-22 heading into the final week of the regular season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of North Florida 5, West Georgia 2. The Interstat ELO system projected North Florida with a 65.10 percent probability to win the game.