Saint Leo, Fla. (February 26, 2007) – Junior catcher Ricky Nolan (Seminole, Fla.) went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, three RBI and a run scored to help the Saint Leo University baseball team (8-5) defeat visiting Concordia-St. Paul by a score of 6-2 on Monday at Southard Stadium.

Saint Leo senior SS Jerry Gonzalez (Tampa, Fla.) was also 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while 1B Eric Spicer (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) and RF Charlie Blume (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) both went 2-for-4, with Blume connecting on his first homer of the year.

The visiting Golden Bears opened the scoring with a two-run first inning.  The Lions quickly responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit in half, as Gonzalez scored on Nolan’s RBI single.

The Lions tied the score with Blume’s solo home run in the second and took the lead for good later in the inning when Gonzalez delivered a two-out double to score Jorge Burgos (Sr., Orlando, Fla.) who had doubled on the previous play.

Nolan gave the Lions a 5-2 advantage when he homered down the left field line in the fifth after Spicer had reached on a single.  Saint Leo added an insurance run in the eighth, as pinch runner Kyle Hobbs (So., Dade City, Fla.) stole second and third base before scoring on Matt Prowant’s (Sr., Dade City, Fla.) single.

Senior left-hander Peter Martinez (Tampa, Fla.) picked up the win for the Lions, as he worked 5.2 innings and allowed two unearned runs on four hits.  Freshman Santi Arencibia (Key West, Fla.) did not allow a hit, as he worked the final 3.1 innings in relief.

The Lions will host St. Anselm College on Sunday, March 4 in a doubleheader scheduled to begin at noon.