ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Behind a battery of 14 runs, the Saint Leo University baseball team swept its twin-bill against Eckerd College to conclude the three-game set at the Turley Athletic Complex.  The Green and Gold claim a sweep of the series as it took the first game by a 4-1 score before concluding the set with a 10-2 win, Saturday.

The Lions improve to 24-5 on the season with a 5-4 mark in Sunshine State Conference action while the hosting Tritons fall to 13-13 with a 3-7 tally in conference matchups.

The Saint Leo arsenal unloaded 14 hits in the first game, taking the contest by a 4-1 final tally.  Junior Cole Stancil and sophomore Troy Sieber led the attack, as the tandem recorded three hits apiece. Catcher Dale Irving was 1-for-2, driving in a pair of RBI while reaching base on two walks for his solid game at the plate.

The Lions added an early run in the opening frame, as Nick Perez led off the inning with a walk before Stancil roped a RBI single to right field, scoring the Green and Gold leftfielder.

Eckerd knotted the game in the home half of the first, as Grant Banko plated Lucas Luopa off of a groundout.  After a full inning, the score was tied 1-1.

The score would not stay knotted for long, as Chase Turner led off the second inning with a walk before senior Bobby Twitty doubled him over to third.  N. Perez notched a RBI single to plate Turner and give Saint Leo a 2-1 advantage after two complete innings.

The Green and Gold padded its lead in the fifth, as Irving added a pair of runs to give Saint Leo the 4-1 lead it needed to take the game.

Starting pitcher Jordan Taylor started for the Lions, tossing four innings while allowing a single run off of four hits, sending five batters down on strikes in the no decision.  Freshman Jordan Pendleton (4-0) threw 4.2 innings in relief to earn his fourth win of the season.  The right-hander scattered five hits without allowing a run to score, striking out three.

Senior Tyrone Miller picked up his fourth save of the season, inducing a key line-out in the ninth inning with runners on the corners to preserve the 4-1 win.

Eckerd starting pitcher Kevin Plant (2-3) earned the loss, hurling five innings while surrendering all four runs, yielding nine hits. 

The offensive barrage continued in the second game as the Lions routed the Tritons by a 10-2 score to conclude the contest.  The Lions used 10 hits to complete the sweep of Eckerd, outscoring the Tritons 24-4 across the series.

Stancil and Sieber continued their offense, delivering a two RBI salvo each as the duo combined for five RBI on the day.  Irving blasted a solo home run on the contest, picking up his third RBI of the doubleheader. Second baseman Alex Mata tallied a multi-hit game, adding a RBI in the 10-2 romp.

Senior Miller started on the hill for the second game, picking up where he left off with four strong innings.  The right-hander scattered five hits and allowed a lone earned run while striking out three.

Junior Brandon Mumaw (3-0) was credited with the win, tossing three innings in relief of Miller, surrendering just three hits in the victory.

Tritons hurler Zach Hoppe (0-2) was tabbed with the loss, allowing four runs in 1.2 innings of work.  The pitcher allowed two hits, but issued a staggering seven walks while on the mound.

The Green and Gold will return home to host future SSC opponent Embry-Riddle on Tuesday, March 24, slated for a 6 p.m. start. Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be provided through www.saintleolions.com.

For more information on the Saint Leo baseball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.