ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd baseball team opened their final home series of the season with a 10-4 loss to Saint Leo at the Turley Athletic Complex on Friday night.
After quickly falling behind 2-0, Eckerd evened the score at two in the bottom of the first with a two-run knock by Zade Stark. The Lions regained the lead in the second, and added six more runs through the fifth inning.
After giving up two runs in the fifth, Nick Rainey was strong in relief, tossing four more scoreless innings. Eckerd had a late-innings rally, adding two runs in the seventh. Eckerd stranded three to end the inning after shrinking the deficit to six. The Tritons had a few chances in the eighth and ninth to shorten the gap, but they could not plate any more runs, falling 10-4 in the series opener.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Saint Leo 10, Eckerd 4
WP: Mecchella (3-4) LP: Calise (1-5) HR: Stark (5)
RECORDS: Eckerd 10-34 (5-20 SSC), Saint Leo 18-27 (8-17 SSC)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Stark led the Tritons with two RBIs.
- Cole Schumaker went 3-for-4 from the plate.
- Stark's homerun was his fifth of the season, with all five at the Turley Athletic Complex.
- Rocco Calise and Rainey combined for five strikeouts.
- Five Tritons recorded a hit: Kam Gelwick, Stark, Reid Lisle, Joey Bazydlo, and Schumaker.
UP NEXT
Eckerd continues the series with the Lions tomorrow with the Tritons celebrating Senior Day before game one of the doubleheader at 1:00 PM.
