MELBOURNE, Fla. – Behind a complete game from junior pitcher Flynn Howard, the Saint Leo baseball team collected a 4-2 victory in the series-opener at Florida Tech in Sunshine State Conference action on Friday night.

The Panthers gained an early 1-0 lead in the first after a solo homer. Later in the sixth, the Lions tied the game with a solo blast from junior Camdin Jansen to left field. In the eighth, senior Roberto Odor knocked in a run with a single to right field that scored junior Abrahan Rios. Junior Jake Carillo added another run with an RBI-single to right center that extended the Lions lead to 3-1. In the ninth, senior Ryan Crivello laced an RBI-double to left field that pushed the Green & Gold advantage to 4-1. Howard and the Saint Leo defense held the Panther offense to just one run in the bottom of the ninth as Saint Leo captured the 4-2 conference win.

On the mound, Howard pitched a gem with six strikeouts in 9.0 innings and limited Florida Tech to two runs (both earned) on eight hits as he improves to 5-2 on the season.

Saint Leo returns to action tomorrow, Saturday, March 28 as it concludes its series with the Panthers with a doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m.