LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The Saint Leo baseball team once again found itself in a tight battle with West Alabama Sunday with the home team Tigers pulling out a 3-2 victory to earn a three-game sweep over the Lions. Saint Leo scored runs in the second and fourth innings but late tallies in the sixth and eighth from the Tigers proved to be enough for West Alabama to claim the victory.
 
Saint Leo drops to 14-13 on the year while West Alabama improved to 14-11 with the sweep.
 
The Lions collected nine hits on the day with freshman Mike Wyman, junior Jacob Reimold and redshirt sophomore Danny Torres all picking up two hits each. All three went 2-for-4 at the plate with Wyman adding a run scored and Torres picking up an RBI. Senior Derek Gibree provided the only other RBI for the Lions.
 
Redshirt senior Shane Haight made the start on the mound for the Lions and went a strong 7.2 innings while scattering 10 hits, two walks, three hit by pitches and three runs. He struck out five opposing batters. Junior Kaleb Huxford spent the final third of an inning on the mound with no hits, walks or runs given up.
 
West Alabama struck first in the opening frame as the Tigers nailed a two-out RBI single up the middle to score a runner from second base. The Lions quickly responded in the second as Wyman and Reimold posted back-to-back one out singles to get two men on. Senior Aaron Portee then moved the pair to second and third with a productive ground out which opened the door for Torres to drive home Wyman on the third single of the inning.
 
The Lions would take the lead in the fourth as Portee led off the inning by reaching base on an error from the second baseman. He then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch with no outs on the board. After a strikeout, Gibree drove home Portee with a grounder to second base which was mis-handled for the second time in the inning. Gibree made it all the way to third in the inning with just one out on the board but a strike out and a fly out ended the frame.
 
UWA tied the game in the sixth as they took advantage of an infield error which scored a run from second. The game-winning run came in the eighth as the Tigers picked up a two-out RBI single up the middle with the bases loaded to go up 3-2.
 
The Lions were able to get the tying run to third in the ninth with two outs but a fly out to left field ended the threat giving the Tigers the victory.
 
The Lions will return home for a three-game Sunshine State Conference series with Palm Beach Atlantic March 29-30.   
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo baseball team be sure to 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.