Box Score SAINT LEO, Fla.- Baseball head coach Sean O'Connor picked up his 100th win for Saint Leo this Tuesday evening as his now 32-11 Lions defeated the now 19-20 Florida Southern Mocs by a score of 9-4 at Thomas B. Southard Stadium. Coach O'Connor has posted 30-plus wins in each of his three seasons with the Green and Gold.
Getting his second start of the season tonight was junior Brandon Mumaw. Normally out of the bullpen, the Wesley Chapel native took to the hill and churned out a 5.0 inning performance that saw him spread out four runs (three earned) on eight hits while issuing no walks and striking out seven. The win puts Mumaw at 5-0 on the year.
In the top of the sixth, sophomore Josh Mollett took over for Mumaw and went a scoreless four innings sprinkling in five hits and striking out five to close out the game and earn his first save of the season.
Stephen Brooks (1-3) took the loss for Florida Southern going just 2.2 innings allowing six runs (four earned) on three hits while issuing four walks and no strikeouts.
Leading the charge at the plate tonight was Dale Irving. The senior catcher went 3-for-3 with three RBI batting out of the nine spot. Also picking up multiple RBI was shortstop Taylor Perez. Coming off a 6-for-11, four RBI performance over the weekend, the junior from Winter Springs, Florida went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored.
Sophomore third baseman Dylan Harris improved his batting average going 2-for-2 with two walks, a double, two runs scored, and an RBI. This was his fourth multi-hit game out of the last five. Harris added a stolen base and great defensive play to the team's effort tonight.
Florida Southern jumped out to a two run lead in the top of the second on RBI singles from Dominic Brugnoni and Casey Eddinger. Brugnoni finished the night 1-for-4 while Eddinger added a second hit for a 2-for-4 performance.
The Lions answered back in the bottom of the inning to keep it tied 2-2, but the Mocs would regain the advantage in the top of the third on a Jhalan Jackson single that plated Chris Dennis.
That was the last Florida Southern lead as the Lions exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 6-3 lead and never looked back. The Mocs would score their final run in the top of the fifth to make the score 6-4 until the Lions added two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh to complete the 9-4 victory.
Saint Leo baseball travels to Tampa this weekend to take on the Spartans in their final Sunshine State Conference matchup of the season. The three game series begins Friday, April 24 at 6:00 p.m. and continues Saturday, April 25 with a doubleheader conclusion with the first pitch at 1:00 p.m.
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.
