By: William Burns, Sports Editor
Over the weekend, Feb. 14-15, your Saint Leo University baseball team competed in a three-game series against 38 ranked Quincy University. This series of games was the season opener for the Quincy University Hawks, who traveled over 15 hours from Quincy, Illinois to play in the sunny South. Saint Leo came into the series with zero wins and five losses as began their home opener.
Jestin Jones follows through after a pitch to a Quincy batter.
This first game of the Friday doubleheader hit off at 3:00 p.m. with Junior right-handed pitcher McCabe Sargent on the mound for the Lions. Sargent struggled this game and lasted only 3.2 innings with four hits, four walks, and four runs allowed.
Senior right-handed pitcher Joey Antonopoulos came in to relieve the started and completed the final 5.1 innings of the game. Antonopoulos had a strong showing and allowed only one earned run and four hits over the outing. He also added five strikeouts. Antonopoulos has made appearances in two previous games this season, but did not fair as well, allowing 10 hits and six runs over four innings. Last season he pitched 54.2 innings and ended with a 4.61 Earned Run Average. Expect him to settle in this season and get the ball a lot.
Mike Wyman runs to receive a throw from the outfield.
In game two, Sophomore right-handed pitcher Ruddy Gomez got the start for the Lions. Gomez was supported with some strong offense and pitched the entire game. The Lions hitters provided enough offense that the Hawks were run-ruled after seven innings. For a team to be run-ruled, they must be up by 10 or more runs after the completion of seven innings. Gomez allowed five hits, one run, and three walks while striking out nine batters. Of his three appearances this season, this is his longest one. He has also pitched for four innings and five innings, giving up two runs in each. So far this season, the sophomore pitcher has a 2.25 ERA and is shaping up to become the teams ace.
In the first game, Saint Leo stuck first in the third inning and took a one-run lead off of back to back triples. The Hawks quickly bounced back, as the Quincy Hawks drew three walks and loaded the bases with one out. Then a one-run single and a bases-clearing double put the Hawks well on top with a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the fourth inning. The Lions closed the gap with a two-run double in the bottom of the fifth, but the Hawks added one more in the top of the sixth to pad the lead again. Saint Leo managed to push a batter around the bases in the eighth but failed to score again and dropped the first game 5-4.
Amir Wright gets ready in the outfield.
The second game was delayed an hour due to rain, but that wasn’t a problem for the Lions. This game went much better for Saint Leo. Leo scored in the first inning on a lead-off triple and the running ending up crossing the plate. The Hawks bounced back in the third inning to tie the game, but that was the last run they would score that game. At the bottom of the fourth inning the Hawks committed an error allowing the Lions to get a man on second. Then, a two-run double to go along with a sacrifice fly and a three-run home run saw the Lions with a commanding 7-1 lead. The next inning Saint Leo added insult to injury by piling on four more runs. The Lions loaded the base sand then Sam Crail, a Junior outfielder, sent a high fly ball over the right-field wall for a grand slam. In the bottom of the sixth inning Jake Vander Wal hit his second home run of the game, a solo shot to make the score 12-1, where it remained.
This win gave Saint Leo their first win of the season and closed out the doubleheader strong with one more game left in the series for Saturday.
The Saint Leo catcher looks into the dugout to get the pitch call.
The Lions Finished off the series on Saturday, Feb. 15. Unfortunately, the Hawks got revenge for the previous game and thrashed the Lions 11-3. The Lions used seven pitchers this game but none of them could figure out the Hawks offense. Three Hawks had over two RBIs and the team finished with 17 hits. Vander Wal added to his season home run total with a solo shot to put the Lions on the board. Senior Brett Esau added the other two RBIS in the bottom of the eighth inning, but by then it was too late.
With this loss, the Lions fell to one win and seven losses. The Lions play again on Feb. 18, and then another home series against Embry-Riddle on the weekend of Feb 21-22.
