SAINT LEO, Fla. – For the third-straight contest the Saint Leo baseball team suffered a one-run setback as the visiting Florida Tech Panthers escaped Thomas B. Southard Stadium with a 1-0 victory Thursday night. The Lions loaded the bases with one out in the ninth but the tying run was never able to get across the plate.
 
Saint Leo out-hit its opponent 6-4 but it was not enough to make the difference in the series opener. The Lions and Panthers will be back at Southard Stadium Saturday afternoon to decide the series with a twinbill scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Junior Amir Wright led the Lions with a 2-for-4 day at the plate but it was sophomore pitcher McCabe Sargent who set the tone as he pitched a season-high 8.0 innings on the mound with seven strikeouts and three walks allowed. He scattered four hits over the eight innings and suffered the hard luck loss as the winning run scored in the sixth. Junior Joey Antonopoulos pitched the final inning for the Lions with a strikeout and a walk and no runs allowed.
 
Senior Peyton Isaacson, senior Brett Coffel, sophomore Matt Morgan and redshirt senior Derek Gibree all registered hits in the loss.
 
Andrew Marzheuser and Ryan Allain combined for the shutout for the Panthers on the mound. Marzheuser pitched 7.2 innings with four strikeouts and five hits allowed while closer Allain pitched the final 1.1 innings with two strikeouts, two walks and a hit allowed.
 
In the ninth Isaacson led off with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt, Coffel singled through the right side of the infield to make it first and third. On redshirt freshman Paul Coumoulos' first pitch of the next at bat the ball found the dirt which allowed Coffel to advance to second. Following the wild pitch all the lights in the stadium went dark due to a power surge. After a nearly 25-minute delay the Lions and Panthers returned to the field where Coumoulos was intentionally walked to load the bases. A strikeout and a groundout to the pitcher ended the game for the Lions.
 
The Lions and Panthers return to the field Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. to finish out the three-game series.  
 
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