SAINT LEO, Fla. – Leading 6-2 heading into the ninth inning Friday night, the 23^rd-ranked Saint Leo baseball team faced a late rally by visiting Lee University. The Flames scored two runs in the inning and had the tying run at the plate twice but closer Trevor Sanchez closed the door on the Flames giving the Lions a 6-4 victory.
 
Sanchez was the third of a three-headed pitching monster from the Lions. Junior Joey Antonopoulos picked up the start and the win as he went 5.0 innings on the mound with six strikeouts and five hits given up. The right-hander allowed two runs to score including one earned. Redshirt sophomore Jeremy Peel pitched the next 3.1 innings while allowing five hits and striking out two. The Jacksonville, Fla. native allowed two runs to score during his outing. Sanchez closed the book with two strikeouts in 0.2 of an inning while allowing no one to reach base.
 
Offensively the Lions struck early as they scored four of their six runs in the opening stanza. The Lions played small ball, taking advantage of walks and using singles to move around the field. Senior Jared Morello led the way going 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored, a double and a pair of stolen bases. Seniors Peyton Isaacson and Brett Coffel each finished 2-for-4 at the plate. Isaacson had a double,  an RBI, a walk and a run scored while Coffel had an RBI, a walk and a run scored.
 
Junior Jacob Reimold, freshman Mike Wyman and seniors Aaron Portee and Derek Gibree all contributed an RBI to the effort.
 
Lee scored a solo run in the first before the Lions exploded for four in the bottom half followed by a solo run in the second. The Flames cut the lead to 5-2 in the third before four-straight scoreless innings brought the game to the eighth. The Lions added an insurance run in the eighth before Lee responded with two runs in the ninth.  
 
The Lions and Flames will close out their three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 and 4 p.m. inside Thomas B. Southard Stadium.
 
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