DELAND, Fla. (Interstat) — Florida Gulf Coast used a dominant pitching performance and a two-run homer from shortstop Wilfred Gonzalez to defeat North Florida 3-1 on Friday evening at Melching Field at Conrad Park in an ASUN Conference matchup.

The Eagles improved to 36-21 overall while the Ospreys dropped to 31-24.

The game was a pitcher’s duel for most of the night. Florida Gulf Coast’s Hunter Possehl delivered four hitless innings to open the game, striking out three and walking two before being lifted. Reliever Ryan Rushing then took over and fired 3 1/3 hitless frames, fanning six. The two combined with Hyatt Richardson, who closed with 1 2/3 hitless innings, to hold North Florida to one unearned run on just two hits over the final five innings.

Possehl, who entered with a 4.2-inning, five-hit, two-earned-run outing against West Georgia and a two-inning, one-earned-run appearance at Jacksonville, set the tone by retiring the first six batters he faced, though he walked a pair in the second inning but escaped damage.

North Florida starter Trevor Nikolis matched him early, allowing only two hits over five innings with three strikeouts and no earned runs. But the Eagles broke through in the sixth against reliever John Costa. With one out, Jaret Nelson was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a throwing error by North Florida shortstop Jaiden Farner that allowed Cayden to reach second. The run was unearned, giving Florida Gulf Coast a 1-0 lead.

The Ospreys answered in the bottom of the sixth. Schrafft singled and moved to third on an error by Rushing on a pickoff attempt. After a sacrifice bunt, Mitchell Collins drove in Schrafft with a fielder’s choice, tying the game at 1-1. Collins stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Santos, but was thrown out at home on a wild pitch and dropped third strike sequence to end the inning.

The game remained tied until the top of the eighth. With one out, Gonzalez crushed a hanging breaking ball over the left-field fence for his second homer of the season, scoring Gorostola, who had singled, to give the Eagles a 3-1 lead.

North Florida threatened in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with two outs after a walk, single and another walk. But Richardson entered and got a flyout to end the inning. The Ospreys put the tying run on base in the ninth with a one-out single by Ordonez, but Richardson induced a flyout to right field to seal the win.

Gonzalez finished 1-for-4 with the home run and two RBIs, while Jaret Nelson went 1-for-3. For North Florida, Mitchell Collins had two hits, including an RBI, and Carter White added two hits.

The Eagles’ bullpen combined for 10 strikeouts over the final five innings without allowing a hit. Nikolis was solid in a no-decision for the Ospreys, while Costa took the loss after allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits over 2 1/3 innings.

No betting lines or over-under information were available for this game.