ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Saint Leo baseball slammed three home runs accounting for seven runs on its way to a 12-3 thumping of Eckerd College, to open the teams' three-game Sunshine State Conference series on Thursday night at Turley Athletic Complex.

Saint Leo (20-22, 5-14 SSC) picked up a pair of two-run home runs in the sixth inning from Alex Mata and Brett Coffel, giving the Lions a 5-3 lead.

The Lions got a three-run blast from Shane Williams in the seventh inning, part of a seven-run uprising by Saint Leo that included an RBI double down the right field line by Dylan Harris and a two-run single to left center by Mata. Saint Leo picked up an insurance run later in the seventh when Derek Gibree's ground out to short allowed Michael Mann to score for what turned out to be the game's final run.

Eckerd had grabbed an early lead with a single run in the third and two more runs in the fourth, and the Tritons held a 3-0 advantage through four complete.

Saint Leo got on the board with a single run in the fifth, courtesy Mann's RBI double to left center to cut the margin to 3-1.

Harris and Williams each had three hits to lead the Lions at the plate. Harris' ledger included a pair of doubles, his fifth multiple extra-base hit game this season. Mata finished with four RBI on his 2-for-5 performance, while Williams had three RBI.

Saint Leo starter Tyler Bauman lasted seven innings, recording three strikeouts with 66 of his 95 pitches thrown for strikes. He improved to 5-1 with the victory.

Eckerd was led by Sam Cochrane with three hits, while Chase Aschuff, Andrew Don, and Daniel Autiello had two each. Triton starter Dillon McCullough took the loss, after allowing five runs on seven hits – his second-worst outing this season in terms of hits and runs allowed.

Saint Leo and Eckerd will complete the three-game set on Friday, April 28, with a doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m.

For more on the Saint Leo baseball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Also, be sure to 'Like' the Lions on Facebook and 'Follow' Saint Leo Athletics on Twitter and Instagram.