Box Score SAINT LEO, Fla. - The Eckerd baseball team almost overcame a rough first inning in mounting a late comeback at Saint Leo in the series opener, but came up a little short in an 11-9 loss.
The Tritons (15-22, 3-13 SSC) got off to a good start as
Garrett Hiott led off the game with his first home run of the year and
Carter Cashman drove in
Mitchell Calandra for a 2-0 lead.
However, the Lions exploded for eight runs on 10 hits in the bottom of the first, chasing Eckerd starter
Jack Mahan after two-thirds of an inning.Â
Jack Silberman recorded the final out of the inning and went on to give EC an opportunity to make up the deficit as he tossed 4.1 scoreless innings.
A four-run fourth inning cut that deficit to 8-6 after
Matt MacMahon and
Jake O'Rourke singles and a
Garrett Hiott walk set the stage for a sacrifice fly by
Nick Conti and a two-run double by Calandra.
Saint Leo, though, responded with two in the sixth and one in the eighth to take a five-run lead into the final frame while Jordan Pendleton silenced the Eckerd bats in relief.
The Tritons finally got to Pendleton in the top of the ninth, though, as
Nick Hill led off the inning with a double followed by a single by Calandra to put runners on the corners.Â
Grant Banko's triple to right-center brought both of them in, and Banko came home on a sacrifice fly by Cashman to get Eckerd within two runs.
Daniel Autiello reached on an error to keep EC's hopes alive, but Pendleton struck out the next two Tritons to end the game.
Calandra had a big day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two RBIs. O'Rourke added three hits while Hiott and Hill both had two. Mahan (2-3) took the loss.
The series concludes on Sunday with a double-header beginning at 1:00 PM.
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