Box Score Four home runs, two by Will Cherry, helped power the top-ranked Moccasins to a 9-4 win over Saint Leo Friday night in the opening game of their weekend Sunshine State Conference series at Saint Leo.
The win was the Moccasins' seventh straight and boosted their record to 26-5, 6-1 in the SSC. Saint Leo fell to 13-21, 4-6 in the SSC.
Cherry's homers, a three-run shot in the first and a two-run blast in the third, raised his season total to 14, just two short of the FSC single-season record of 16. He now has 26 home runs in his career, putting him eighth on the FSC career home run list.
Zach Maggard led off the sixth with a solo homer, his fifth of the season and Wade Kirkland led off the seventh with his fourth home run of the season.
Max Russell worked into the seventh inning to record his fifth win without a loss. After Saint Leo put its first two batters on base in the seventh, Dustin Merrell took over for Russell. Merrell gave up a run-producing double and a walk, but all five of the outs he recorded were by strikeout. Ryan Wolfe came on to get the final out in the eighth and retired the side in order in the ninth.
The Moccasins and Lions play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. at Saint Leo.
