SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo baseball team took down the visiting Panthers of Florida Tech 10-8 and 10-6 Saturday to earn a Sunshine State Conference series victory. Junior
Amir Wright led the Lions with a 6-for-10 day at the plate with five runs scored, two doubles and two RBI.
The pair of victories moves the Lions record to 20-21 on the season and 9-12 in SSC action. The Panthers fell to 22-17 in 2019 and 11-10 in league play.
Wright was one of seven Lions with three or more hits on the day as Saint Leo belted out 31 base knocks and scored 20 runs. Seniors
Peyton Isaacson and
Brett Coffel led the team with four RBI each. Isaacson was 4-for-7 at the dish with three runs scored, a home run and four RBI while Coffel was 5-for-10 with three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and four RBI.
Sophomore
Matt Morgan delivered three RBI while going 3-for-9 at the plate. He had four runs scored, a double, a home run and here RBI. The only other Lion to drive in more than a single run was redshirt senior
Derek Gibree who was 4-for-9 with a double and two RBI.
The Lions sent seven different pitchers to the mound over the two games. Junior
Joey Antonopoulos picked up the win in game one as he pitched the seventh and eighth innings. He went 2.0 innings with a walk and a hit allowed but no runs crossed the plate. Isaacson came on in the ninth for the save as he went an inning of work with one hit allowed. The other two pitchers in the game were senior
Shane Haight, who got the start, and freshman
Ruddy Gomez. Haight went 5.0 innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. He allowed 12 hits and six runs crossed the plate, including five earned. Gomez saw 1.0 inning of action with two strikeouts and three walks. He allowed three hits and a pair of runs to score.
In game two redshirt sophomore
Jeremy Peel picked up the victory after pitching in the seventh and eighth innings. He went 1.2 innings on the mound with a strikeout and two hits allowed. Isaacson closed out the game in a non-save situation with two strikeouts, a walk and one hit allowed. Redshirt junior
Ryan Nolan took the start on the mound and went 5.2 innings. He struck out four and walked three. He scattered 10 hits and saw five runners cross the plate including four earned. Junior
Trevor Sanchez was the only other Lion pitcher to see the mound as he pitched 0.2 of an inning with two strikeouts, a walk and a run given up.
Florida Tech had home runs in the first inning of each game including a two-run shot in game one and a three-run dinger in game two. The Lions played from behind most of the day but came back to win each contest in front of the home crowd. Saint Leo used a three-run eighth in game one to take the victory and it included back-to-back solo home runs by Isaacson and Coffel. The second game was decided in the seventh and the eighth as the Lions scored two in each frame to secure a four-run lead. Torres and Gibree provided the RBI in the seventh while a pair of wild pitches scored the runs in the eighth.
The Lions will be back in action on the road next Thursday, April 25 with a doubleheader at Eckerd.
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.
