ST. LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo University scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth to take down the University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team 12-7 Wednesday, March 9 at Thomas B. Southard Stadium in St. Leo, Fla. The Golden Eagles led 7-5 going into the bottom of the eighth before the Lions put up seven in their half of the stanza.

The Golden Eagles dropped to 6-11 with the loss Wednesday. Saint Leo improved to 14-7 with the victory. The Lions picked up a pair of wins over UMN Crookston in the series.

Minnesota Crookston utilized nine pitchers in the game. Matt Nelson (R-Jr., RHP, Afton, Minn.) started the game and went 3.2 innings, allowing three earned runs, on eight hits. He had two strikeouts, and one walk. Jakob Wiirre (Jr., RHP, Mims, Fla.) went 1.1 innings, striking out three. Jackson Schneider (R-Jr., RHP, Forest Lake, Minn.) pitched one inning, striking out two. Isaac Roers (Fr., RHP, Stacy, Minn.) suffered the loss Wednesday, allowing three unearned runs, on three hits.

Nate Gorcyza got the ball in the start for the Lions. He pitched 1.2 innings, allowing three runs, on three hits. Huston Richter went three frames, allowing no runs, on no hits, with four strikeouts. The win went to Jestin Jones, who tossed 0.1 innings, striking out one, and allowing one hit.

UMN Crookston had six hits in the game. Jake Hjelle (R-So., 3B/OF, East Grand Forks, Minn.) paced the Golden Eagles, going 1-of-3, with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored. Zeke Hass (Jr., OF, Eaton, Colo.) went 1-of-4, with a run scored. Ben Goelz (R-So., OF, Maple Lake, Minn.) finished 1-of-3, with two RBIs. Tyler Jochen (R-Sr., 2B/SS, San Jose, Calif.) went 1-of-5, with an RBI, and a run scored.

Saint Leo was guided by Sam Crail, who went 3-of-4, with three RBIs, and two runs scored. Mikey Scott went 2-of-5, with five RBIs, and a run scored. Paul Coumoulos went 2-of-2, with an RBI, and a run scored. Buck Anderson finished 2-of-5, with one RBI, and two runs scored.

Minnesota Crookston pushed out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first when Hjelle (R-So., 3B/OF, East Grand Forks, Minn.) hit a two-run home run, driving in Hjelle, and Paxton Nelson (Jr., OF, Spicer, Minn.).

Saint Leo trimmed the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the first when Anderson scored on a Bobby Sparling groundout.

The Golden Eagles pushed the advantage to 3-1 when Teddy Giefer (So., 1B, Courtland, Minn.) doubled to drive in Mitch Goodwin (R-So., SS, Prior Lake, Minn.).

The Lions knotted the game up 3-3 in the bottom of the third. Mikey Scott reached on an error, allowing Sparling, and Sam Crail to come home.

Saint Leo took the 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Giusepe Arcuri scored on an Anderson groundout to open up the stanza. Crail then doubled to plate Peyton Meredith.

The Golden Eagles pulled within 5-4 on a Jochen solo round trip. UMN Crookston loaded up the bases later in the inning, but Saint Leo got Goelz to fly out to leave the bases loaded.

Minnesota Crookston came through with a big inning in the top of the eighth. With the bases loaded after Brad Morris (R-Sr., OF, Auckland, New Zealand) reached on an error, Hass, and Hjelle walked. Goelz then delivered a double to drive in Thoma, and Morris. A passed ball allowed Hass to come in to score to push the Golden Eagle lead to 7-5.

The Lions put together singles from Coumolos, Yazael Nunez, and Anderson in the bottom of the eighth. Sorenson came on for UMN Crookston to try to get the Golden Eagles out of further trouble. In the next at-bat Crail reached on an error, allowing Nunez, and Coumolos to score and put the game into a 7-7 gridlock. Anderson came in to score on a wild pitch to tilt the game in favor of Saint Leo 8-7. Scott delivered a bases-clearing double to plate Adrien Roa, Sparling, and Crail to stretch the advantage to 11-7. A Coumolos double drove in Scott to push the lead to 12-7. Logan Spencer (Fr., RHP, East Grand Forks, Minn.) came on to get the final out of the inning for Minnesota Crookston.

Kaelan Racculia came on to try to get the Lions out of the game. With two outs, Racculia walked Nelson and hit Morris with a pitch. Racculia got Hjelle to ground out to get out of the game with the 12-7 win.
The Golden Eagles will play Northwood University Friday, March 11 at 12:30 p.m. C.T. at Lake Myrtle Complex in Auburndale, Fla.