FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Debuting its new ranking of #1, the Saint Leo University softball team continued to do what it does best, win. Behind a dominating pitching performance by senior Tierney Hocquard and a first-inning infield RBI hit by Sydney Cline the Lions cruised to a 32nd straight win on Friday night in Fort Lauderdale. The Green & Gold improves to 37-2-1 and remained perfect in SSC play at 22-0 extending the best start to conference play in program history. Nova Southeastern falls to 22-19 overall and 8-11 in SSC action.
 
Hocquard recorded her 16th win on her 13th complete game and her sixth shutout of the season. She matched a career high with 11 strikeouts while facing just three batters over the minimum as she allowed three hits and no walks. At the plate, both Marissa Martinez and Abigail Hynes has a pair of hits each. Grace Dunsworth scored her first run of the season in her season debut. Aynai Hernandez' lone hit of the game ignited a four-run fourth inning.

#1 SAINT LEO 5, NOVA SOUTHEASTERN 0
Saint Leo struck first in the opening inning. Briana Neal was hit by a pitch to begin the game, then stole second with two outs before Sydney Cline lined a single to shortstop that brought her home for a 1-0 lead.

Tierney Hocquard took over from there and never let Nova Southeastern settle in. After allowing a one-out single in the first, Hocquard struck out Gianna Russo and retired Ana Richiez on a fly out. She then struck out the side in the second and added two more strikeouts in a clean third inning as the Lions carried the one-run edge into the fourth.

Saint Leo broke the game open with a four-run fourth. Izzy LaRoche led off with a single and Maddie Antioco was hit by a pitch to put two on. Nia DeBenedittis dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position, and Ayani Hernandez followed with an RBI single to left that also allowed Antioco to move to third. Marissa Martinez then singled through the left side to score Antioco and push the lead to 3-0. Grace Dunsworth, making her season debut and running for Hernandez, added to the pressure by stealing home while Martinez stole second on the same sequence. After Martinez swiped third, Alexis Barber worked a two-out walk and Abigail Hynes singled to center, scoring Martinez for a 5-0 advantage.

Nova Southeastern threatened little against Hocquard the rest of the way. She retired the side in order in the fifth, needed just three batters in the sixth, and worked around a one-out single in the seventh to finish the shutout. Hocquard ended the night with 11 strikeouts in a three-hit complete game as Saint Leo opened the series with a 5-0 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS – 32 game win streak
32 consecutive wins
22-0 SSC record
220 runs scored by Saint Leo
18 Home runs
.362 team batting average
.175 opponent batting average
211 strikeouts by Saint Leo pitching
1.47 team ERA
18 complete games
16 wins by Tierney Hocquard leads the team in 2026
40 career wins for Hocquard leads the team in active pitchers
 
UP NEXT
Saint Leo and Nova Southeastern complete the season series with a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday, April 18.