SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo baseball fell to No. 1-ranked University of Tampa in both ends of a Sunshine State Conference doubleheader, Saturday evening at Thomas B. Southard Stadium.

Saint Leo dropped a low-scoring affair to Tampa in game one, 3-2, while the Lions let a three-run lead slip away in the top of the ninth before dropped an 11-9 decision to the top-ranked Spartans. The two victories on Saturday allowed Tampa to complete the SSC series sweep over the Lions, who were playing their first conference games of the season.

In game one, Troy Sieber broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with a mammoth blast that landed on the lacrosse stadium beyond the right field fence, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead.

Tampa knotted the game in the top of the fifth when Laz Rivera singled home Casey Scoggins. The Spartans extended their lead to 3-1 in the top of the sixth, scoring two runs on Danny Lee's single to right field.

Saint Leo pulled to within one run of Tampa in the seventh. Pinch hitter Danny Henriquez's grounder to second was thrown wide of the bag at first, and allowed Zach Daley to score. The Lions had bases loaded in the eighth inning, but Tampa pitcher Christopher Williams got out of the jam by getting Derek Gibree to hit a grounder to third base for a force out.

Sieber went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI in game one, while Mike Mann and Zack Sabo each had two hits. Starter Dylan Collett allowed three runs, two earned, on 11 hits with two walks over six complete innings of work, and took the loss to fall to 3-2 on the season.

In game two, Saint Leo broke a 6-6 tie in the bottom of the eighth, plating three runs on four hits for a 9-6 lead. Lane Stancil and Sieber each stroked RBI singles for the Lions, while Mann plated a third run on a sacrifice fly to center field to score Chase Turner.

With Saint Leo just three outs away from the win, Tampa scored five runs on four hits in the ninth. After two Spartan runs crossed on a Rivera double and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Zion Bell, UT tied the game at 9-9 on a Cody deNoyelles single up the middle. Adrian Chacon sacrificed home another run on a fly ball to right field, and Casey Scoggins singled home the Spartans' fifth run of the frame with a base hit to center field.

Saint Leo went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, allowing Tampa to complete the win.

The Lions plated its first three runs of the game in the first inning on a three-run home run off the bat of Sieber.

After a solo home run by Tampa's J.D. Osborne in the second inning, the Spartans picked up another solo shot by deNoyelles in the fifth and a two-run blast in the sixth.

Saint Leo manufactured runs in the sixth on a hit and a pair of Tampa errors, tying the game at 5-5. UT added another solo round-tripper in the seventh for a 6-5 advantage, but the Green and Gold responded in the bottom of the frame when Alex Mata singled home Daley to make the score 6-6.

Jordan Pendleton took the loss in a valiant relief effort, after coming into the game with one runs already in and two runners aboard in the Tampa ninth. He put two more runners aboard on walks, both of whom scored. Shane Haight lasted four-and-a-third innings in the start, scattering five hits while allowing three runs.

Sieber continued his torrid hitting in game two, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and extending his hitting streak to 16 games. Stancil, Turner, and Mata each had two hits, while Bryan Nunez went 3-for-5 in the nine-hole in the batting order.

Saint Leo returns to action on Monday, March 14, when it faces Major League Baseball's Puerto Rico Spring Training Team, in an exhibition game at 6:00 p.m. at Southard Stadium. The Lions return to regular season competition on Tuesday, March 15, when it hosts Minnesota-Crookston at 6:00 p.m.

For the latest news, updates and 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.