SAINT LEO, Fla. – In extra innings, the 14th-ranked Saint Leo baseball team earned a 4-3 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan in non-conference action to close out the four-game series with a sweep at home on Saturday afternoon.

In the bottom of the 10th with the bases-loaded, graduate student Zach Benson blasted a single up the middle to plate sophomore Ryan Crivello, the winning run as the Lions secured their eighth-straight victory.
Saint Leo scored first as junior Nick Yedman singled to right center as he drove in Benson, 1-0. The Panthers quickly answered in the second as they notched a two-run homer and led by a 2-1 margin. Later in the fourth inning, Kentucky Wesleyan extended its edge to 3-1 following a wild pitch.

The Green and Gold started to gain momentum in the sixth as sophomore Dylan Mass recorded a groundout RBI as junior Dylan McDonald crossed home plate before Crivello scored on a throwing error to tie the game at 3-3. Between the seventh and ninth innings, both defenses were stout as the teams combined only allowed five hits.

Senior Aedan Walter started on the bump for the Lions and tallied eight strikeouts while allowing three runs on six hits. He limited the Panthers to only two hits from the fifth inning to the eighth inning. Walter was dealt a no decision in his 8.0 innings on the mound. In relief, senior Drew Rudsinski collected the win as he held Kentucky Wesleyan hitless in the last two innings of the game while facing seven batters.

Crivello led the Lions with three hits while scoring two runs. Benson, who knocked in the game-winning run, recorded a pair of hits and scored. Senior Caleb Adams went 2-for-4 from the dish.

Saint Leo returns to action on Monday, March 11 as it hosts ninth-ranked Wayne State at 6 p.m.