Box Score SAINT LEO - Trailing 9-7 heading to the ninth inning, Florida Southern rallied to score two runs to force extra innings and then scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning to post a 12-9 come-from-behind victory over 23rd-ranked Saint Leo in the nightcap of Saturday's Sunshine State Conference doubleheader at Thomas B. Southard Stadium on the SLU campus.
With the win, the Moccasins evened their overall record to 17-17 on the season and moved to 6-9 in the SSC, while SLU fell to 29-9 overall and 10-8 in the SSC. The win in Saturday's nightcap followed FSC's 12-2 win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader to help the Mocs to its second consecutive SSC series win. The Mocs took two out of three games last weekend at home against Rollins.
In Saturday's nightcap, the Mocs used doubles from senior leftfielder Kyle Richards (Groton, Conn.) and junior centerfielder Sam Machonis (Tampa, Fla.) and a leadoff single from sophomore first baseman Jason Sierra (Sarasota, Fla.) off of SLU relief ace Trevor Miller in the ninth to score two runs to tie the game and force extra innings.
The Mocs would then score three runs in the top of 10th inning thanks to a walk, two singles, including an RBI single by Sierra and a two-run double by junior third baseman Dominic Brugnoni (St. Clair Shores, Mich.) to take a 12-9 lead off of Lion reliever Josh Mollett (1-1), who took the loss after allowing three hits and three runs in the 10th inning.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, senior Casey Eskew (Sarasota, Fla.), who pitched four shutout innings out of the bullpen, worked out a jam by forcing Dylan Harris to ground into a 4-3 double play to end the game and seal the Mocs victory.
Eskew (1-2) earned the win as he allowed just one hit, while walking one and striking out three in his career high four inning effort. Eskew retired the first nine Lion hitters he faced in order, before walking Lane Stancil to lead off the 10th inning.
The Mocs actually trailed 8-3 after six innings in Saturday's doubleheader nightcap.
In the seventh, FSC began to chip away at that deficit as they used two singles, a sacrifice fly and a 2-run homer from junior rightfielder Jhalan Jackson (Winter Haven, Fla.) to pull within 8-6. The homer by Jackson was his third multi-homer game of the season and second of the series and it was also his team-leading 13th of the year. Jackson is now just three homers short of the single season school mark of 16 home runs held by the late Justin Hancock in 2002 and Ryan McHugh in 1995.
The Lions would push its lead to 9-6 in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a double, a walk, stolen bases and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Chad Miller.
FSC, though, would answer with a run in the eighth inning thanks to an RBI single by senior second baseman Chris Dennis (Rockledge, Fla.) off of Miller to pull within 9-7. Dennis' single allowed Richards to score the Mocs seventh run of the game after he led off the inning with a single and moved to second when Machonis was hit by a Miller pitch.
Early on in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader, it appeared SLU would prevail as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a 2-run home run by Harris and grew its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a 2-run homer by Troy Sieber off of Moccasin junior hurler Brady Arenson (Glenview, Ill.).
Arenson would pitch five innings on Saturday and allowed seven hits and six runs, while walking four and striking out three before being replaced in the sixth by senior Austin Barnett (Lakeland, Fla.).
FSC would finally dent the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning as they took advantage of a Lion error to score an unearned run to push within 4-1.
The Lions, though, would answer with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to push its lead to 6-1. The Lions runs in the inning would come on a wild pitch by Arenson and a double by Chase Turner.
FSC would use the long ball in the top of the sixth inning to score two runs to push within three runs at 6-3. The Mocs opened the inning with a solo home run by Jackson over the fence in right center and then Brugnoni added a solo homer later in the inning. The homer by Brugnoni was his first of the season.
The Lions would push its lead to 8-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to a two-run homer by Sieber. The homer was the second of the game for Sieber and his 12th of the season.
FSC finished with 20 hits in the nightcap as Jackson and Sierra each recorded four hits and went a combined 8-for-11 at the plate with five runs scored and four RBIs. In addition to Sierra and Jackson, Brugnoni had three hits, while Machonis, Richards, junior shortstop Shawn Sanders (Citra, Fla.) and junior designated hitter Blake Swann (Live Oak, Fla.) each had two hits in the win. In fact, eight of the Mocs nine starters in the batting line-up in the nightcap recorded at least one hit.
SLU had 11 hits and committed two errors in the loss. Nick Perez led the Lions with three hits in the nightcap, while Harris, Sieber and Turner each had two hits.
For the game, both teams combined to strand 19 runners on base as FSC left 11 runners on base and SLU stranded eight runners on base.
Jordan Pendleton was SLU's starting pitcher in the nightcap and he threw six innings and allowed seven hits and three runs (two earned runs), while striking out four and walking none. Miller allowed 10 hits and six runs, while walking one and striking out three in his three innings of work.
FSC will return home this coming Tuesday, April 14 to host No. 15 Flagler in a 6 p.m. non-conference game at historic Henley Field. The Saints earned a 3-1 win over the Mocs in St. Augustine earlier this season.
