Chase Turner (pictured) hit two home runs in Wednesday’s game.
Credit: Chris Daniello
After the giant rainstorm, the Saint Leo baseball game was moved to March 21 against Eckerd. It was a back-and-forth game at Thomas B. Southard Stadium where the No. 22 Lions prevailed over Eckerd in non-conference action 7-4. This exciting contest pushed the team to their 20th win giving them an incredible 20-5 record. Senior right-handed pitcher Oscar Gordillo got the win for the Lions after pitching five innings without letting up a single hit and collecting six strikeouts. Gordillo came in relief for redshirt starter Ryan Nolan who pitched four innings while allowing five hits and four runs. Chase Turner, Zach Scott and Lane Stancil had their way with the Tritons’ pitching. Turner and Scott both hit home runs on the night, all while Stancil went 3-4 from the plate with two RBI’s. Scott also owned the batter’s box as he went 2-3 with three runs scored and one RBI after crushing a ball to left center for another home run. Turner, however, was the offensive star this game hitting two home runs where he joins Peyton Isaacson as the second player this season to hit two home runs in a single game. Turner had three RBI’s and scored three runs himself, making him responsible for six of the seven runs on the night. At the start of the game, Saint Leo got a hot start with one of Turner’s home runs scoring Aaron Portee in the bottom of the first; the ball went to deep left field giving Saint Leo a 2-0 lead. However, in the top of the fourth, Eckerd used back-to-back bombs to take a 4-2 lead before the Lions tied it back up at 4-4. Saint Leo added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth as Turner hit another solo dinger breaking the tie and getting the Lions a lead of 5-4. Junior Jake Sims hit a hard grounder through the right side of the infield to score Scott from second, where he reached on a double to right center; the Lions then took the lead 6-4. Saint Leo kept the hitting going, gaining an insurance run in the seventh inning as Scott hit a homer to straightaway centerfield making the score 7-4. The Lions held the lead and finished the game victorious 7-4. Saint Leo baseball will take a short break for six days before returning to the diamond for a three-game series against Wisconsin-Parkside March 27.
