Box Score BOCA RATON, Fla. – Tyler Curtis' walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted host Lynn University to a 9-8 win over Saint Leo University, in game one of the teams' three-game Sunshine State Conference baseball series at Lynn Baseball Field.
Saint Leo moves to 20-15 overall, 3-7 in the SSC, while Lynn is now 20-14, 9-4 in conference play. The teams conclude their series with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 9, starting at noon.
Lions reliever Andrew Cohen retired leadoff batter Ryan Donovan on a strikeout to open the bottom of the 11th, but Alex Turner reached on a three-base error by Saint Leo. That brought Curtis up to the plate, and he singled into center field on the 1-2 pitch to bring home Turner for the win.
Saint Leo held an 8-6 lead in the game heading into the bottom of the eighth, after plating one run in the top of the frame on Shane Williams' blast to right field. John Borup's RBI triple and a base hit by Frank Grandinette brought home two runs for the Fighting Knights, and the game was knotted at 8-8 heading into the ninth.
Lynn initially held a 6-2 lead over Saint Leo after three innings.
Troy Sieber belted a solo home run in the first inning, his 10th of the season and 24th career round-tripper, to give the Lions a 1-0 lead, but the Knights responded in the bottom of the first with a Borup solo shot and Ryan Donovan's sac fly to left.
Saint Leo scratched out another run in the third when Derek Gibree plated Zach Gary on a sacrifice fly to left, and Lynn again had the answer with a four-run third keyed by Curtis' three-run shot to right field.
The Lions evened up the game on a two-run Williams blast in the fourth, and Sieber's second home run of the day for another two runs in the fifth tied the game at 6-6. Saint Leo pulled in front, 7-6, in the sixth inning on Gary's sac fly to right that brought home Zach Daley. The Lions went three-up, three-down in the top of the seventh, while Lynn stranded runners at first and second in the bottom of the frame.
Saint Leo pitchers combined for a season-high 13 strikeouts, led by junior reliever Andrew Cohen's six Ks over three innings on the mound. Cohen took the loss, allowing one unearned run while scattering four hits and issuing two walks. Starter Jordan Pendleton lasted into the fifth inning and charted five strikeouts; he was followed by Zach Whitaker, who dealt two strikeouts over three innings of work.
Sieber and Williams each went 2-for-5 with three RBI for the Lions. Sieber's two home runs allowed him to move into a tie for fourth among Saint Leo career home run leaders with 25; he is currently alongside Saint Leo Hall of Famer Bob Gibree (1982-84), and surpassed Bob Marques (1978-82) with 24 home runs.
Daley, Gary, and Gibree also had two hits, with Daley crossing for two runs.
Grandinette went 4-for-5 for Lynn at the plate, while Curtis tallied four RBI on a 2-for-6 effort. Eric Schindler charted three hits for the Knights, and Borup finished 2-for-6 with two runs batted in. Payton Smith earned the win for Lynn, after allowing just two hits over his final three innings.
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