SAINT LEO, Fla. – No. 11 Saint Leo softball swept the doubleheader Friday night at University Softball Stadium to open up play against Florida Southern College. The Lions battled back to take game one 3-1, before posting their third shutout of the year with a 4-0 game two to take a 2-0 lead in the four-game matchup this season.
 
Saint Leo improved to 5-1 on the year and 4-0 in Sunshine State Conference play after taking the SSC game Friday 3-1. Florida Southern falls to 2-4, 1-3 SSC.
 
On the day, Kacie Kelly paced the Green and Gold going 3-for-5 from the plate with one triple, an RBI and a walk with a daily slash line (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) of .600/.667/1.000. In the field, the second baseman recorded two putouts and three assists with no errors.
 
Six other Lions scattered hits as Saint Leo as a group recorded 15 on the day. Morgan Shannon tied Kelly for the team lead with three, while Makensey Pankers, Sadi Avants, Alexandra Hare, and Maddy Lynn each had two. Grace Spitulski recorded one hit on the day, a double to right center in game two.
 
From the circle, three Lions appeared where Avants and Kayla Betts picked up wins with Shannon earning a save. As a group, they trio tallied 14 strikeouts to the Moccasins two.
 
#11 Saint Leo 3, Florida Southern 1
 Florida Southern got on the board early with a solo homerun in the top of the first with two outs. Kayla Betts and the Lions would shut the Mocs out for the remainder of the game from scoring.
 
Saint Leo notched a tying run in the third, a double steal saw Maddy Lynn score, before a two-run fifth pushed the score to its eventual-3-1 final.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Makensey Pankers singled to right center allowing Morgan Shannon to come around from second to score with two outs for the lead. Alexandra Hare singled to left field allowing Pankers to come in for the third run.
 
The Mocs would get two runners on in the top of the sixth but Shannon came in for relief and got a pop up for the second out to Alyssa Perez. A 2-2 pitch saw a grounder head towards Perez over at shortstop, followed by a laser to first recorded the final out of the inning.
 
Two quick flyouts to Maddy Lynn in center field saw the Mocs down to their last out where a 2-1 popup to Kacie Kelly down the right field line ended the game.
 
#11 Saint Leo 4, Florida Southern 0
A silent game through three and a half innings saw an offensive spark in the Lions' half of the fourth. Sadi Avants pitched the first four innings of the game and held the game scoreless. Saint Leo used four runs in the fourth to bust the game open.
 
Small ball was the game. A walk by Hare started the inning before a beautiful bunt single by Avants saw two runners on with no outs. After Emily Pilon sacrificed herself to move the runners, Lynn singled on a bunt squeeze allowing Hare to score the first run. Rachel Bean, who pinch ran for Avants, would come in to score on yet another bunt single before Lynn scored on a fielder's choice. Shannon came in to score the games final run on a double by Grace Spitulski.
 
The Mocs would get a runner on in the fifth but nothing going as Shannon shut down any hopes of a quick strike back. Again in the sixth, Florida Southern got a one-out single but it was for not as Shannon recorded the final two outs of the inning with a strikeout and a foul-out to Hare at third.
 
Saint Leo worked a quick 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh with a groundout, flyout and a punch out, Shannon's third of the game.
 
Up Next
No. 11 Saint Leo and Florida Southern face off Saturday, March 13 at 2 p.m. in Lakeland, Fla. to wrap up the Sunshine State Conference series.

For more information on the Saint Leo softball program, 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.

How to Watch
Lions fans are able to watch the game and follow live stats via the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network where the Green and Gold's home games will be streamed and carry live statistics. For viewing any of the Green and Gold's contests against conference opponents, go to sunshinestateconference.tv or directly to the Lions' portal HERE. For following along with the live stats, fans can view them HERE. For more coverage of the Saint Leo softball program or any of the University's intercollegiate events, go to saintleolions.com/coverage.

Keeping Our Lions Healthy & Safe
Saint Leo University Athletics is keeping our student-athletes healthy and safe by following a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This includes having student-athletes tested or screened on a regular basis, traveling in smaller groups, holding competitions without fans in attendance, avoiding overnight trips, and wearing masks when not competing. These safety standards meet those set by the NCAA Division II and the Sunshine State Conference President's Council. At Saint Leo University, the COVID-19 Incident Command Team also reviews the teams' safety protocol and monitors adherence on a regular basis.