Lanzilli's Brilliant Performance Leads Tritons to Senior Day Victory

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A career effort by Cameron Lanzilli in his final start at the Turley Athletic Complex couldn't have come at a much better time.

Lanzilli threw eight shutout innings before Chase Achuff closed the door in the ninth as the Tritons took a nail-biting 1-0 win over Saint Leo on Friday evening to claim the rubber game of the series.

Mitch Calandra's sacrifice fly to bring home Garrett Hiott in the sixth inning turned out to be the only run of the game.

The series win helps keep the Tritons in the mix near the top of the very crowded Sunshine State Conference standings.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 1, Saint Leo 0
WP: Lanzilli (5-3)  LP: Nolan (3-3)  Sv: Achuff (5)
Records: Eckerd 28-15 (17-10 SSC); Saint Leo 21-23 (10-13 SSC)

KEY MOMENTS

• A pitchers duel between Lanzilli and Ryan Nolan lasted five innings before the Tritons took advantage of two Lion miscues to score in the sixth. Garrett Hiott reached on an error leading off the inning, stole second and then advanced to third after an errant throw on a pickoff attempt. Mitch Calandra battled back from a 1-2 count to send a deep fly ball into right field that scored Hiott on the sacrifice fly.
• After Hiott's run, Keith Leavitt, Jr., was hit by a pitch and proceeded to swipe second and third with one out, but the Tritons left him stranded.
• Eckerd benefited from several outstanding defensive plays throughout the contest. Jake Romine made an over-the-shoulder grab of a deep fly ball to save a run in the fourth and robbed Derek Gibree over extra bases in the fifth with a diving catch in the right-center gap.  In the eighth, Lanzilli fielded a bunt down the first base line and flipped the ball to first from his glove one batter before Justin Glover made a diving catch of a popped-up bunt.
• The Tritons were on the verge of adding a bit of a cushion in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with one out, but a force at home and a borderline called third strike ended the threat without a run.
• Brett Coffel led off the top of the ninth with a single to right field on the first pitch he saw, bringing an end to Lanzilli's fantastic night. Chase Achuff entered in relief and got three groundouts to strand the tying runner at third and pick up his fifth save of the season.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• Eckerd honored its large 11-senior class before the game: Nick Conti, Mitch Calandra, Garrett Hiott, Keith Leavitt, Jr., Jake Romine, Justin Glover, Matthew Miller, Bryan Torres, Dillon McCollough, Joey Favetta, and Cameron Lanzilli.  Hiott, Glover, and Miller accounted for all four of EC's hits.
• Glover extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a single in the seventh.
• Lanzilli set career-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts with eight. He only walked one batter while scattering six hits.
• The series win was Eckerd's first over Saint Leo since 2009. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons wrap up the regular season next weekend traveling to face the University of Tampa for a three-game series beginning on Friday night.