McLemore Walk-Off Blast Helps Baseball Get Split on Senior Day

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Eckerd College first baseman Joe McLemore hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11^th inning to lift the Tritons to an 8-5 win over visiting Saint Leo in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at the Turley Athletic Complex.

 

McLemore's blast with two outs helped Eckerd (17-28, 5-16 Sunshine State Conference) salvage a twinbill split, as the Lions (16-29, 5-16) took a 9-0 victory in the finale.

 

McLemore went 3-for-6 with four RBIs in the opener, part of a 13-hit game for the Tritons. Bryant Gibson went 2-for-6, including his first home run of 2011. Wess Hollins and Alex Del Monte each had two hits and combined for three runs scored.

 

Eckerd overcame an early 2-0 deficit with a four-run sixth inning. After extending the lead to 5-2 in the seventh, Saint Leo rallied with two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to force extra innings.

 

But McLemore ripped a line drive over the left-field wall in the 11^th to end it.

 

In the second game, Anthony Santa went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and the Lions scored four runs in the third to jump ahead.

 

Right-hander Aaron Brandt (5-5) tossed four shutout innings to record the win, with Matt Smith completing the shutout with three scoreless innings of relief.

 

Prior to the game, Eckerd recognized its five seniors: Hollins, Chris Ayral, Anthony Katchuk, J.W. Kilpatrick and Stephen Pelc.

 

Eckerd will travel to Saint Leo for a 6 p.m. contest on Tuesday in a non-conference game.