ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The 20th-ranked Saint Leo University Lions softball team split its games on the first day of the Flagler Tournament host by Flagler College. Originally scheduled for a Saturday-Sunday tournament, with the weather in the forecast for Sunday the tournament was moved up to Friday-Saturday. The Green & Gold took a 5-3 win over Chowan in game one and dropped a 5-4 decision to Valdosta State in the second game of the day. Saint Leo moves to 5-2-1 overall on the season. 

#20 SAINT LEO 5, CHOWAN 3
Saint Leo used a four-run third inning to defeat Chowan 5-3. After the Hawks plated three runs over the next two innings, Izzy LaRoche belted her first homer in a Saint Leo uniform to add an insurance run in the sixth inning. Chloe Hoqcuard made her first start of the season pitching three innings, allowing an earned run on one hit, four strikeouts, and a walk. Alex Wright closed out the game pitching 3.2 innings allowing just a single hit, while striking out five and walking one for her first win of the season. 

VALDOSTA STATE 5, #20 SAINT LEO 4
The second game of the day saw the Lions go down 3-0 after the first inning. With a run in the second and a run in the third the Lions made it a 3-2 game. The Blazers capitalized on an error by the Lions to highlight a two-run fourth inning. Sydney Cline hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to once again make it a one-run game at 5-4 but that would be the end of the scoring. Tierney Hocquard went the distance once again allowing five runs on six hits while striking out five and walking two in her first loss of the season.   

UP NEXT
The Lions are back tomorrow for two more games to close out the Flagler Tournament. Saint Leo will have a rematch with the Blazers at 4 p.m., followed by a match up with the host Flagler Saints at 6:30 p.m.