HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Saint Leo baseball team opened up the 2018 season with back-to-back wins over the University of Alabama at Huntsville. The Lions defeated the Chargers 7-4 in game one before winning in a scheduled seven-inning game, 6-4.
"As a staff, we are happy with our effort today," first year Head Coach
Rick O'Dette stated after the two wins Saturday. "We had to come back and needed to hold a lead. We had some timely hits and did a good job of throwing big pitches in key spots. We are hoping we can be even more consistent tomorrow as we close out the series with Alabama-Huntsville."
With the win in game one, the Lions open up the season with a win for the fifth straight season.
Jordan Pendleton and
Tyler Bauman got the nod to start the two games where Pendleton won game one and Bauman picked up a no decision in game two.
Pendleton pitched 5.0 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits while striking out four of the 25 batters faced.
McCabe Sargent earned the win in game two after 2.1 innings of work, allowing two hits no runs and fanning four batters.
In all, the six pitchers saw action Saturday as the Lions used three pitchers in each game.
Drew Tumbelty and
Peyton Isaacson earned saves on the day. As a pitching staff, the Green and Gold hold a 2.81 ERA, allowing eight runs, five earned, on 15 hits while striking out 18 batters.
As a team, Saint Leo collected 24 hits in 70 at-bats for a .343 batting average. The Lions scored 13 runs on the day, with nine doubles and two home runs. The Green and Gold scored a majority of its runs in the first four innings, with two runs in the fifth inning of the first game.
Jared Morello led Saint Leo on the day with a .667 batting average (4-6) with two runs scored, one double and one RBI. Morello finished with an .833 slugging percentage and a .750 on-base percentage.
Behind Morello,
Amir Wright turned in a .500 clip with two runs scored and two RBI knocked.
Peyton Isaacson knocked in two runs with four doubles on the day for a .444 average from the plate.
Lane Stancil paced the Green and Gold with the most runs scored with three, where he hit .378 from the dish.
Derek Gibree and
Jake Sims hit the only two home runs on the day. Gibree and Sims hit their homers in the Lions' four-run fourth inning in game one of the season.
Saint Leo and Ala.-Huntsville will close out the series Sunday, Feb. 4 at 12 p.m. in Huntsville, Ala.
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.
