SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Florida Southern College baseball won game two of its series against Saint Leo University with a 5-3 comeback victory Saturday afternoon at the Thomas B. Southard Stadium.
The Mocs (18-8, 5-3 SSC) were scoreless in the first four innings but rallied to score five unanswered for the conference win. The Lions (14-12, 5-6 SSC) led 3-0 through four innings before shutout by the Mocs the rest of the game for a Moccasin victory.
A slow start for the Mocs as they tallied two hits and no runs through four innings of work. It was the Lions who scored first with a solo homer by Roa in the first and back-to-back RBI hits for Saint Leo in the third for a 3-0 FSC deficit.
In the top of the fifth,
Mitch Donofrio opened scoring for the Mocs with a solo homer to left center.
Jevin Relaford hit a big double shortly after but was left on base. Mocs had hits by
D'Ante Starks and
Bryce Safferwich in the top of the sixth but were unable to score with a 3-1 Saint Leo lead through six innings.
Florida Southern tied the game in the top of the seventh from an RBI double by Relaford to send
El'Rico Riley home and an RBI single by
Ryan Magdic as the next batter for the 3-3 score.
Aric McAtee worked through seven innings and had a late surge of success in his final four innings after giving up three runs early. McAtee kept the Mocs in the game through the seventh as Safferwich homered for the first lead by FSC on the day.
Magdic added an RBI double in the top of the ninth as a 5-3 lead allowed the Mocs to remain in control. Both
Kerry Wright and
Lake Fisher entered to retire the next two innings, with Fisher earning the save for the 5-3 Moccasin win.
Safferwich and Relaford led the Mocs with three hits each and two RBI by Magdic from his two hits.
Drew Cavanaugh was unable to notch a hit and had his 19-game hit streak snapped. McAtee was awarded the win.
The Mocs will wrap up the conference series against the Lions tomorrow, March 26, for a 1 p.m. start at Thomas B. Southard Stadium in Saint Leo.
