Saint Leo, Fla. (February 2, 2008) – The Saint Leo University baseball team (1-2) split a doubleheader with Florida Tech (2-1) on Saturday at Southard Stadium.  The Lions won game one 4-1 for their first win of the 2008 season before falling 8-6 in the nightcap.

Saint Leo junior LF T.J. Alonzo (Tampa, Fla.) went a combined 4-for-7 on the afternoon with 3 RBI, and a pair of home runs.  Alonzo earned all three of his RBI in the second game with a 3-for-4 performance and the two homers.  RF Yunior Tabares (Sr., Tampa, Fla.) went a combined 3-for-6 6 with a homer.

The Lions earned their first win of the season in game one, as starter Carter Clements (Sr., Eustis, Fla.) went 6.0 innings and did not allow an earned run while striking out six.  Senior closer Matt Smith (Dade City, Fla.) earned his first save of the season, closing the door in the ninth.

A solo home run by Tabares put the Lions on the board in the second inning, and SLU doubled the lead in the fifth courtesy of a defensive error by the Panthers.  Tech cut the lead in half with a run in the top of the sixth, but the Lions got an RBI triple from 2B Bobby Munoz (Jr., Tampa, Fla.) and an RBI single from J.C. Suarez (So., Tampa, Fla.) to open up the 4-1 lead, which the bullpen made stand.

In game two, Tech got four runs in the top of the first to open a 4-0 lead.  The Lions got a solo homer by leadoff batter Kyle Hobbs (Jr., Dade City, Fla.) to start the second, and added two more runs to make it a 4-3 lead when Alonzo led off with a solo shot of his own and Zac Caito (So., Warrenton, Va.) added an RBI double.

Tech made is 6-3 with two runs in the top of the fourth and the Lions scored one run in the bottom of the inning to make it a 6-4 game.  Panthers’ 3B Mitch Saum hit a two-run home run in the sixth to give the visitors a cushion, and although Alonzo delivered a two-run shot of his own in the bottom of the sixth, Saint Leo could rally no further.

Saint Leo will return to the diamond on Wednesday night with a trip to St. Petersburg, Fla. to face Eckerd College.  Opening pitch for the non-conference game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.