LAKELAND, Fla. — Florida Southern College baseball (18-17, 8-9 SSC) faced off against Saint Leo University (21-16, 9-12 SSC) in a doubleheader on Saturday at Henley Field. The Moccasins lost both games, falling 8–7 in the first contest and 13–6 in the second.
In the first game, Florida Southern put up a strong fight with a four-run rally in the eighth inning, but it wasn't enough to overcome a late surge from the Lions, who scored three runs in the ninth. Saint Leo initially took the lead in the first inning when Ryan Crivello scored on a fielding error, followed by Amai Rivera scoring on a single by Thomas DeBrower in the second inning to make it 2–0.
The Moccasins fought back in the third with
Mikey Scott's single setting up
Eric Harrison Jr.'s two-run homer, tying the game at 2–2. However, Saint Leo regained the lead in the fifth inning with three runs, bringing the score to 5–2. Florida Southern narrowed the gap in the seventh with an RBI walk by Harrison, making it 5–3.
In the eighth, Florida Southern surged ahead with
Will Burke's double and a series of RBI contributions, taking a 7–5 lead. The ninth inning saw Saint Leo come back to reclaim the lead, with Crivello scoring on Camdin Jansen's RBI single, finishing the game at 8–7 in favor of the Lions. Harrison was a standout for the Moccasins, driving in four runs and hitting a home run, while
Brock Budacki collected three hits. On the mound,
Ty Bradle pitched five innings and
Tanner Rollyson struck out five batters in relief.
In the second game, the Lions jumped ahead in the first inning with a two-RBI single from Abrahan Rios. Florida Southern responded quickly, with
Ryan Jenkins scoring on
Carson Brady's RBI single to make it 2–1. The team continued to battle, with Jenkins scoring again and contributing to a close score of 3–2 after the second inning.
However, Saint Leo's Amai Rivera hit a two-run homer in the third, extending their lead to 5–3. The Lions capitalized on errors in the fifth inning to score three unearned runs, pushing their lead to 9–3. Florida Southern showed resilience in the seventh, narrowing the score to 10–5 after a series of hits and runs. Despite the efforts, Saint Leo continued to pull away, ending the game with a final score of 13–6. Jenkins led the Mocs with three hits, two runs, and an RBI, while Burke added two RBIs and Budacki maintained offensive pressure with three hits.
On the mound,
Jayce Rollins pitched three innings, while
Casey O'Dell and
Robert Tracy III also contributed in relief. Saint Leo's Mass had a standout performance, recording three hits including a home run, and driving in three RBIs.
The next challenge for Florida Southern comes at 6 p.m. ET Friday when it travels to face Palm Beach Atlantic University at J.M. "Jake" Rubin Park in West Palm Beach, Florida.
