Box Score
SAINT LEO, Fla. – With the Eckerd College baseball program seemingly in control from the onset with a considerable lead, Saint Leo University turned the tide in the middle innings to complete a wild rally on Tuesday evening, 15-12.
The Tritons (15-32 overall) slugged a pair of first-inning home runs and led by a 9-1 score at the end of four innings before the Lions (32-14-1 overall) mustered a 10-run sixth inning and changed all the momentum.
Junior
Shane Bishop lined the second pitch of the game to deep right center, his third home run of the season.
Shortly after, junior
Mike Vavasis crushed a pitch to the deepest park of the field in left center, a no-doubter that disappeared into the trees. His two-run shot off Saint Leo starter Tyrone Miller had the Tritons out in front early, 3-0.
The Tritons teed off on Miller early after senior
Tyler Abadal rocketed an offering off the center field wall for a double to begin the second inning. Miller exited the game after just one out was recorded in the second frame.
Freshman
Jake O'Rourke made it a 4-0 game with a deep sacrifice fly on the first pitch thrown in relief by Matt Hewitt, scoring Abadal from third.
Freshman
Nick Hill was coming off a sterling performance on the mound in his last appearance against Warner University that featured seven strikeouts in six strong innings.
Hill stranded a pair of runners on base in his first inning of work, getting Michael Revell to swing through strike three. He was then aided by a double play turned by his defense and fanned another hitter on a check swing to end the second.
The same situation of runners at first and third with no outs unfolded for Hill in the third, but the Lions were able to get one run back. He also worked out of trouble to end the fifth, stranding the bases loaded with a groundout.
Eckerd pressured Hewitt into a bases-loaded, one-out scenario in the fourth and O'Rourke made the Lions pay with a long RBI single for a 5-1 lead. Freshman
Rowdy Andrews welcomed the third Lions pitcher of the night with a scalding shot off the glove at third base.
O'Rourke drove in three runs in four plate appearances while Andrews was 3-for-5 at the top of the order.
Bishop then lined a shot inside the right-field foul line for a two-run double as the Tritons opened up a commanding seven-run cushion.
Senior
Lee Spinelle closed the five-run fourth with a sacrifice fly to deep right as Andrews scored the ninth run of the night.
But Saint Leo's Chris Newcomb tied the game with a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth, highlighting a 10-run inning as the Lions stormed back from an eight-run deficit. Saint Leo drew a number of bases-loaded walks and a few costly errors contributed to the big inning by the Lions.
The Tritons will conclude the 2013 regular season with a Sunday/Monday three-game home series at the Turley Athletic Complex against Barry University. The Sunday doubleheader is projected to start at 5 p.m. against the Buccaneers.
Senior Day festivities for
Lee Spinelle,
Henry Langs,
Joe Clagg,
Tyler Abadal and
Jordan Huchro, will commence at 5:40 p.m. prior to the start of Monday's game.
