MELBOURNE, Fla. – The seventh-ranked Saint Leo baseball team lost in an 11-10 thriller on Friday night at Florida Tech in a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) matchup.

The Lions started out the high-scoring affair with a three-run bomb from senior Josh Davis in the first, the Panthers answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, 3-2. Sophomore Dylan Mass extended the Saint Leo lead to 4-2 after driving in freshman Luis Rivero on a single to right field. In the third with the score 4-3, graduate student Yazael Nunez batted-in junior Callen Moss with a fielder's choice.

Later on in the sixth, Rivero scored Moss after a sacrifice-fly to right field as the Lions led by a 6-4 margin. However, Florida Tech rattled off five runs in the bottom of the sixth to gain a 9-6 advantage. Saint Leo fought back in the ninth as Moss walked with the bases loaded followed by senior Mikey Scott scoring graduate student Buck Anderson with a fielder's choice. Nanez notched an RBI-single through the left side followed by graduate student Giuseppe Arcuri scoring on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 10-10. However, in the bottom half of the tenth with the bases loaded, Florida Tech walked-off with a single through the left side.

Nunez finished the game with a trio of hits and a pair of RBI while Mass tallied three hits with one RBI. Davis drove in three runs on two hits and scored a run himself. Additionally, Moss and Scott posted a pair of hits and one RBI each. Senior Caleb Adams and Rivero registered one hit and one RBI.

On the mound, senior Luke Lashutka started for the Lions, he allowed 10 hits and nine runs (eight earned) while striking out three batters in 5.1 innings and was dealt a no-decision. In relief, senior Kaelan Racculia pitched 2.2 innings as he tallied three strikeouts and surrendered two hits.

The Lions return to the field tomorrow, Saturday, March 16 as they conclude their three-game series at Florida Tech with a doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m.