Box Score SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo senior Zack Sabo set the table and redshirt junior Chad Miller delivered the base hit needed to lift the Lions to a 10-inning, 18-17 walk-off win over the University of Bridgeport, Monday afternoon at Thomas B. Southard Stadium.
Sabo got aboard with a double down the left field line to open the home half of the 10th inning, beating the throw to second with a head-first slide.
Pinch runner Francis Ortiz scrambled to third on a wild pitch, and was held at third on Will Gray's ground out to shortstop.
That brought up Miller, who lined a long base hit to the deepest part of right-center field and plated Ortiz for the game winner.
Saint Leo improved to 11-9 overall with the win, while Bridgeport fell to 2-4 with the loss.
The game opened with Saint Leo taking a commanding lead over Bridgeport, who was playing just its second game of its spring break trip to Florida. The Lions batted around in the third and fifth innings and posted seven runs in each of those frames, and held a 15-5 lead over the Purple Knights after five complete.
Bridgeport began chipping away at the Saint Leo lead with two runs in the sixth and seventh, to which the Lions responded with a two-run home run by Chase Turner in the seventh that also plated Gray. That made the score 17-9 in Saint Leo's favor headed into the eighth.
The Purple Knights put up another two runs in the eighth cut the margin to 17-11, and then plated six runs in the ninth on four hits amid a steady rain at Southard Stadium to tie the game at 17-17.
Saint Leo loaded up the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but UB reliever Andrew Oswald induced a ground to short to get out of the jam. Bridgeport also managed to get runners into scoring position at second and third with one out, but Saint Leo reliever Zach Whitaker got a fly ball to left field and a grounder to second to end the threat.
Whitaker picked up the win for Saint Leo for his two innings of work on the mound. Oswald, who allowed by double by Sabo to lead off the bottom of the 10th, was tagged with the loss.
Derek Gibree finished the day with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate, while Turner and Dylan Harris each has three hits. Turner and Gibree also logged three runs batted in.
Saint Leo returns to action on Wednesday, March 15, when it hosts Rollins College in a non-conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Thomas B. Southard Stadium.
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.
