LAKELAND, Fla. - After capturing both games of a Sunshine State Conference (SSC) doubleheader on the road at Florida Southern, the Saint Leo baseball team won the series as it won 8-7 in game one followed by a 13-6 victory in game two on Saturday evening.

Senior Ryan Crivello gave the Lions a 1-0 edge after scoring on an error in the first followed by senior Thomas DeBrower knocking in a run with a single to right center, 2-0. The Mocs answered and tied the game at 2-2 with a homer in the bottom of the third. The Green & Gold countered with three runs in the fifth as redshirt sophomore Jake Carillo tallied an RBI-single before senior Amai Rivera-Martinez scored two runs with a single to center field, 5-2.

However, Florida Southern registered five unanswered runs to claim a 7-5 advantage in the eighth. The Lions were not denied in the ninth as they scored two runs on a pair of ground outs. Junior Jake Rytcher shut the door on a Mocs comeback as he collected the save and recorded a strikeout while holding Florida Southern hitless in the ninth. 

On the mound, junior Flynn Howard started and pitched 6.0 innings. He recorded three strikeouts with two runs (both earned) on six hits. Senior Kyle Anderson was dealt the win as he pitched 1.0 innings and posted a strikeout in addition to allowing one run (earned) on two hits. 

In game two, junior Abrahan Rios gave the Lions a 2-0 lead after a single down left field line, before the Mocs trimmed its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom half of the first. Senior Dylan Mass blasted an RBI-triple that extended the Lions advantage to 3-1 in the second. With the score 5-3 entering the middle innings, the Saint Leo offense ignited for five consecutive runs to gain a 10-3 edge. The Florida Southern offense only mustered three more runs for the rest of the contest while the Lions added three more runs themselves to secure a 13-6 victory. 

On the mound, junior Cian Phillips pitched 7.0 innings and recorded five strikeouts along with allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits. Phillips earned the win while freshman Aiden Smarrito pitched 2.0 innings and posted three strikeouts.