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Florida

Swimming

Gator Swimming and Diving Sweeps FAU On Senior Day

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Florida swimming and diving teams got solid performances from several underclassmen on Senior day en route to defeating Florida Atlantic at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The third ranked women handed the Owls a 169-124 defeat while the sixth ranked men came away with a 172-112 victory.

The Gators totaled 30 first place finishes and three NCAA provisional times. 30 of the first place finishes came from 24 different swimmers while 11 of the 24 finished first one or more times over the course of the meet.

As part of the fesitivities included with the final dual meet of the season, 19 seniors were honored prior to the meet for the dedication and success as part of the Gator Swimming and Diving program. 11 of the 19 seniors honored prior to the start of the meet were able to pick up one or more first place finishes at their final home meet of their career.

"The Seniors did very well today," said head coach Gregg Troy. "It's a really great group and is the largest group to graduate since I've been here. They are outstanding people." Senior Sarah Ellerby dove her way to a first place total on the one meter board to kick off the meet for Florida. Ellerby totaled 249.75 points before returning to finish fifth on the three meter board with a total of 241.66. Ellerby also stepped in and joined the 400 free in the final event for the women, swimming the third leg of the exhibition relay for her first swim as a Gator.

Aaron Leech was the top scorer on both the one and three meter boards for the men, totaling 277.73 on the one meter and 318.08 on the three meter board.

The Gator women led off the afternoon with a first and second place finish in the 200 medley relay. Gemma Spofforth, Caroline Burckle, Julianne Lago, and Stephanie Napier earned a time of 1:44.64, while Samantha Vanderbilt, Denise Gunter, Colleen Healy, and Elizabeth Kemp clocked in with a second place time of 1:46.24.

The Gator men turned in the same result, finishing first and second in the 200 medley relay. Omar Pinzon, Clark Burckle, Shaune Fraser, and Daniel Penniman combined for a time of 1:30.33, and were followed by Rex Tullius, Bradley Ally, Tim Hughes and Jos Smith, who finished second with a time of 1:32.27.

Stephanie Proud earned the women's second first place time of the afternoon, taking the top spot in the 1,000 free with a time of 9:57.51.

Freshman Madison Parker was second with a time of 10:06.16. J.B. Walsh turned in the men's top time, swimming the event for the first time this season and touching the wall second with a time of 9:39.78. Alex Martin followed with his time of 9:44.42.

With two heats in the women's 200-yard free, the Gators swept the top five spots of the event. Led by Kristen Beales, who touched the wall with a provisional time of 1:50.03, the Gators earned a total of 16 points in the event. The result was the same on the men's side, as the Gators swept their way to a 1-2-3-4 finish in the event. Brett Jones clocked in with a lifetime best time of 1:38.40 to lead Florida.

Colleen Healy and Lago earned the top two spots in the women's 100 back, separated by just .02, clocking in with times of 57.29 and 57.31 respectively. Fraser led yet another Gator sweep on the men's side, touching in with a time of 49.87. He was joined by Konstantin Sundin (51.30), and Scott Thompson (52.37).

Caroline Drab got things going in the 100 breast for the Gators, finishing with an event best 1:06.26. She was joined on the men's side by Kyle Deery, who touched first with his time of 57.26. Michael Joyce (58.54) and Joey Pedraza (1:00.36) completed the Gator sweep, finishing second and third in the event.

Elizabeth Kemp kept the wins coming for the Gators as she clocked in with a another 1-2-3 finish, led by Dustin McLarty, who's time of 1:50.00 was good enough for the win by just .58 seconds. Roland Rudolf swam to a time of 1:50.58 for second why Ally was third with a time of 1:51.58.

Natalie Pike earned the event's best time in the 50-free for the women, clocking in at 23.40. Vanderbilt was third with her time of 24.32, while on the men's side Florida had yet another 1-2-3 finish led by Tim Hughes, who touched in with a time of 20.82.

Florida jumped out of the first diving break with two more first place finishes in the 100 free. Healy won the event for the women with a time of 52.06 while Jones claimed the men's victory with his second career best time of 45.14. Matthew Norton and Pinzon followed Jones in second and third with times of 46.13 and 46.45 respectively.

Florida again earned the top three times in the 200 back on the women's side and top four times on the men's. Vanderbilt touched in first for the women with a time of 2:02.11 while Kemp (2:05.08) and Epley (2:05.17) followed in second and third. Clark Burckle was first for the men with a time of 1:50.95. He was followed by Logan Storie (1:51.07) and Sundin (1:52.38) in second and third.

Gunter was the top scorer for the women in the 200 breast, finishing with a second place time of 2:30.44. She was joined by Kyle Deery and Pedraza who finished first and second with times of 2:03.94 and 2:12.14 respectively.

The 500 free produced a 1-2-3 finish for the women, led by Sarah Peterson, who touched first with a time of 4:56.97. She was joined by Parker (4:57.14) and Sykes (4:58.15). Due to score differential the Gator men exhibitioned the remainder of the meet, but were led by Ryan Crete who finished first in the 500 free with a time of 4:33.16.

Florida was led the remainder of the way thanks to first place finishes by Pike (55.96) and Penniman (50.20)in the 100 fly, Beales in the 400 IM (4:21.86), and Kevin Nead in the men's 400 IM (3:53.65).

The Gators were also able to sweep the final relays of the day in the 400 free. The women were led by Burckle, Pike, Healy and Vanderbilt who touched in with a time of 3:28.39. The men's foursome of Jones, Penniman, Johnson and Hughes led the way with a time of 3:00.57.

In all, 13 women earned a first place spot over the course of the meet, individually or as part of one of the relay teams. Seniors Pike and Healy each led the way with three first place each, two individually.

Troy offered his praise of the women's senior class for their leadership and dedication, "The women's class leadership has been fantastic very directed," said Troy. "They've been a good group for four years. They are all good students and have been a real quality group." The men's team had five individuals with two or more first place finishes, including seniors Jones and Deery.

"The men's class has kind of set the tone for the future," said Troy.

"They were very unheralded coming in and five of them are leaving as an All-American." Florida will be idle until the conference championships begin next week.

The divers will take to the boards first beginning February 15 with the divers following on February 20.

Tennis

No. 19 Florida Men's Tennis Hands No. 14 FSU First Loss of Season

Gainesville, Fla. - The No. 19 University of Florida men's tennis team gave No. 14 Florida State its first loss of the year and came up with one of its biggest as the Gators won, 5-2, Saturday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville. The Gators remained perfect at home and improved their record to 4-2, while the Seminoles slipped to 6-1.

Florida head coach Andy Jackson improved to 30-2 against in-state opponents in his seven years at UF and in addition led the Gators to their eighth win in nine meetings with FSU under his direction.

"I am happy for the team," said Jackson. "Florida State is a good team and (Nestor) Briceno did not play for us in the singles due to a stomach bug. The five freshmen and one senior that did play singles should be proud they beat one of the better teams in the country. However, I think right now we are playing at 50 percent of what we are capable of playing at by the end of the year." Florida State secured the doubles point with wins on all three courts in just under an hour. UF's two losses this season had come when the Gators lost the doubles point.

Johnny Hamui (Wesley Chapel) evened the match with his win on court five over Brad Mixson. With the win, Hamui improved to 3-1 on the year in dual match play with each of the victories coming in straight sets.

One minute after Florida State's Chris Cloer picked up a win on six to put the Seminoles back on to, the match was even again when Florida's 57th-ranked Alex Lacroix (Paris, France) took out FSU's 68th-ranked Sam Chang on court two, 6-3, 6-4.

Tyler Hochwalt (Scottdale, AZ) gave the Gators their first lead of the day with a 6-3, 7-5 showing over Maciek Sykut on court four. For the second straight outing, Jeff Dadamo (Tampa) secured the Gator victory as he held off Clint Bowles on court three, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Bowles, who won the 2007 National Clay Court Championships, entered the match as one of the highest ranked freshmen in the nation at 78th.

"It feels good to know I clinched," said Dadamo. "I didn't know that while I was out there. I was too focused on my match to check what was happening on other courts. After the second set, I knew to keep fighting and things would happen. It will give us confidence and was a really exciting win for us to get. After the doubles we went to the locker room and got ready to get back out there. We all know that Coach Jackson will have us prepared and he did a great job in getting us ready for today." Greg Ouellette (Ormond Beach) added to the Gator point total with a hard-fought win of his own at the top of the order over Jean-Yves Aubone, 6-3, 7-6 (5). Ouellette, Dadamo and Hochwalt all pace the team with 5-1 singles marks in dual matches.

Florida returns to the courts on back-to-back days as the Gators take at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24 in Gainesville. The next day, UF goes against No. 21 Pepperdine in Gainesville at 3 p.m.

Golf

No. 12 Florida Men's Golf Takes Commanding 36-Hole Lead At SunTrust Gator Invitational

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Junior All-American Billy Horschel (Grant, Fla.) and freshman Bank Vongvanij (Bradenton, Fla.) fired five-under 36-hole scores of 135 on Saturday to guide the 12th-ranked University of Florida men's golf team to a commanding 12-shot lead at the SunTrust Gator Invitational at the Mark Bostick Golf Course. The Gators tallied an 18-under total of 542 after rounds of 269 and 273.

Florida State sits in second place at 554 (-6) followed by UAB in third at 556 (-4), Ole Miss in fourth at 561 (+1) and LSU in fifth at 562 (+2).

LSU freshman Andrew Loupe sits atop the individual leaderboard after posting a first-round 68 and a tournament-low 65 in his second round for a seven-under total of 133. Florida State's Jonas Blixtz is one back at six-under par (134) followed by a slew of players at three-under (135), including Horschel and Vongvanij.

The Gators aim for their fifth straight Gator Invitational title on Sunday in the final round that gets underway at 8 a.m. ET. The final pairing of Horschel, Blixtz and UAB's Mark Sucher tees off of the first hole at 10:06 a.m. ET. Florida's tee times begin at 9:30 a.m. ET and follow in nine-minute intervals. Admission is free. Live scoring can be found at www.golfstat.com and via www.gatorzone.com.

Ideal scoring conditions welcomed the 14 teams on Saturday, which reflected the tournament's lowest scores since the Mark Bostick Golf Course underwent a renovation in 2001.

The Gators' total of 542 represents the second-lowest 36-hole total in the 31-year history of the Gator Invitational. Seven of eight Florida golfers posted red figures, and three Gators sit within at least three shots of the lead. Florida's first-round 269 tied for the fourth-lowest round in school history by score and ranked as the third-lowest first-round tally in program history.

Horschel played his first eight holes of the first round at even par before he turned it on with birdies in four of his next eight holes. He gave a stroke back at hole one and finished with a 3-under total of 67.

The two-time All-American carried the momentum into his second round, which featured back-to-back birdies on holes six and seven. He finished with a 68 and sits two shots back of Loupe heading into Sunday's final round.

Vongvanij, playing as an individual, posted a career-best 36-round score of 135 (-5), eclipsing his previous-best mark of 141. He registered a 68 in the first round followed by a career-low 67 in the second round.

Vongvanij closed with birdies on two of his last three holes.

Sophomore Tyson Alexander (Gainesville, Fla.) also posted career-best numbers on Sunday. His career-low 36-hole total of 136 (-4) put him in a four-way tie for sixth place. Alexander was the clubhouse leader after a first-round 66 (-4), and he followed that tally with an even-par 70 in round two. The 66 bested his previous career-low by two strokes and represented the fourth-lowest total by any UF sophomore in school history.

Alexander carded three birdies on his first-round front nine and increased his advantage with an eagle two on the par-four 17th.

Senior Toby Ragland (Jacksonville, Fla.) fired a pair of 68s for a four-under total of 136 as well. Senior Tyler Brown (Jacksonville, Fla.) and defending champion Manuel Villegas (Medellin, Colombia) are in a four-way tie for 11th place. Brown posted scores of 68 and 70 for a two-under-par tally of 138, while Villegas posted scores of 67 and 71.

Sophomore Tim McKenney, playing as an individual, is tied for 15th after a one-under 139. Junior Will Strickler (Charlottesville, Va.), Florida's No. 2 starter, sits in a tie for 27th place after posting a one-over 141.

Softball The No. 13 Florida Softball team (4-0) won both games on Saturday in the USF/Wilson Invitational in Tampa, Fla., earning wins over both Illinois (2-2) and Memphis (0-3).

The Gators defeated Illinois 3-2, as senior Mary Ratliff (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) and freshman Tiffany DeFelice (Coral Springs, Fla.) led the gators with two hits a piece.

DeFelice went 2-for-2 with a double, a sacrifice, a run scored and two RBI. Ratliff was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Ratliff began a two-out rally in the top of the second with a base hit through the right side. She scored from first on a double that squeezed the left field line by DeFelice. Freshman Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) continued the rally with a base hit to left to score DeFelice, putting the Gators up 2-0.

The Gators added another run in the top of the fourth. Junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) grabbed a one-out single to left. Freshman Ami Austin (Ormond Beach, Fla.) came in to pinch run for her and advanced to second on a Ratliff ground out. Austin stole third to put herself in scoring position. DeFelice grabbed her second hit of the day to score Austin for the 3-0 Gator lead.

Illinois came back in the bottom of the fourth. Hope Howell drew a lead off walk. She advanced to third on a double to left by Shanna Diller.

Howell just beat out Ratliff's throw from right field to score on Lana Armstrong's sacrifice fly. Diller came in to score on a wild pitch and narrowed the Gator lead to just one run at 3-2.

The Illini loaded the bases on two hits and a walk with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Junior pitcher Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) was able to bare down and get the final out on three straight strikes to end the inning.

Nelson struck out 10 batters in the win to improve her record to 2-0.

This marked the first time in her career Nelson struck out 10 or more batters in consecutive games.

The team wrapped up day two of the USF/Wilson Invitational with a 9-0 shut out of Memphis. The Gators scored their nine runs on only four hits and six Tiger errors.

With one out in the top of the second junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) drew a walk from Memphis pitcher Lyndsey Sterling. Senior Mary Ratliff (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) and freshman Tiffany DeFelice (Coral Springs, Fla.) grabbed back-to-back singles to load the bases. Freshmen Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) and Shaunice Harris (Moreno Valley, Calif.) followed with back-to-back RBI walks to give the Gators a 2-0 lead. Junior Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.) reached first on an error by the Tiger first baseman, allowing DeFelice to score. Kimber Bossom came in to relieve Sterling in the circle for Memphis with two outs to go in the inning. The Tigers got the second out as they threw out Bush at home, leaving junior Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin, Fla.) safe at first on the fielder's choice play. Harris scored the final run of the inning on an error by the Tiger pitcher, putting the Gators up 4-0.

Harris led off the top of the fourth with a walk. Waleszonia was safe on an error on her sacrifice attempt, advancing Harris all the way to third. Waleszonia stole second. Harris scored and Waleszonia moved to third on a wild pitch by Bossom. Freshman Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) knocked in Waleszonia with a base hit to center for her team leading fifth RBI of the season and the 6-0 lead.

Florida scored its final three runs in the top of the fifth as freshmen stepped up to give the Gators the win by the eight-run rule. With two outs, DeFelice singled to left field. Bush and fellow freshman Kristen Adkins (McKinney, Texas) followed with back-to-back walks to load the bases. Waleszonia reached on a fielder's choice, but two Memphis errors allowed both DeFelice and Bush to score. The third Memphis error of the inning found freshman Kristine Priebe (Moorpark, Calif.) safe at first and scored Adkins for Florida's 9-0 win.

Freshman Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) earned the win to improve to 2-0 on the year. She allowed othree in 4.0 innings. Freshman Kelsey Bruder (Corona, Calif.) pitched the final inning, walking one and striking out two in her first collegiate appearance.

Florida wraps up USF/Wilson Invitational play on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. versus the host school. The game will be broadcast live on www.GatorZone.com via Yahoo.com.

South Florida

Golf

Bulls Not Up to Par

The Bulls struggled through the first two rounds today at the Sun Trust Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. shooting a 585 after 36 holes. USF sits in last place of the 14-team field. The Gators, who are hosting the tournament, are in first with a two-round total of 542.

"All of the teams in this field are very strong and we knew we would have to play well to stay with them," said Head Coach Jim Fee. "For all of our players today, we just didn't convert many birdies. We were saving pars, but very few birdie putts were finding the hole."

Junior Jakob McKinley is currently leading the Bulls. He is tied in 41st place with a first day total of 144. Not far behind is freshman Robby Carl, tied at 53rd with a 146 after two rounds.

Senior Tyler Hitchcock was tied in 36th after round one with a 72 but couldn't find his stroke in the second round. Hitchcock is now tied in 63rd place (72-77-149).

Sophomore Raj Nahal stayed pretty consistent today. He shot a 76 in round one and a 75 in the second round. Nahal is tied in 68th place.

After shooting an 81 in the first round, senior Jason Elliott improved nine strokes in round two. He finished the day with a 153 (81-72, T72).

With 18 holes left in the tournament the Bulls will look to improve their game tomorrow in round three with tee times beginning at 8 a.m.

"Our focus for tomorrow will be hitting fairways and greens in regulation, and giving ourselves more birdie opportunities," said Fee. "We can play well on this course, and tomorrow we just need to go after it!"

Florida State

Swimming

Florida State Women Swimmers and Divers Defeat Arkansas

Junior Scott Baker swims a NCAA "B" qualifying time in the 50 free as both the men's and women's teams lose to Auburn.

Tallahassee, Fla. - Florida State swimming and diving wrapped up its dual meet schedule on Saturday morning as the women's team defeated Arkansas 194-106 while both the women (177-118) and the men (190-106) were defeated by Auburn.

"The girls got another win to them 17 victories on the season," head coach Neil Harper said. "When you go up to Auburn you don't get many wins so it was a great accomplishment for us."

In the victory over the Razorbacks, Florida Sate (17-3, 5-0) got another stellar showing from Stevi Steinhauer (Pensacola, Fla.). The sophomore swam a personal best time winning the 50 free touching the wall in 23.46. She also won the 100 free against Arkansas (third overall) with a time of 51.52. The Seminoles had a great showing on the diving board as well, sophomore Aleia Monden (Mililani, Hawaii) won the one-meter (241.40) and sophomore Katie Sirounis (Indian Harbor Beach, Fla.) was victorious on the three-meter (289.40).

On the men's side it was junior Scott Baker who turned in Florida State's (10-5, 4-2) top performance. The Lake Mary, Fla. native won the 50 free in a NCAA "B" qualifying time of 20.09. It was Baker's best time of the season until he bested it leading-off the 200 free relay with an outstanding 19.91. Diver Terry Horner (Orlando, Fla.) also had a nice day for the Seminoles. The sophomore National Champion swept the diving events winning both the one-meter (347.30) and three-meter (365.50).

Next up for Florida State will be the ACC Championships in Atlanta, Ga. The women's team will compete for the ACC Title from February 20-23 while the men will defend their 2007 championship from February 20 through March 1. This is the part of the season that the Seminole prepare all year for.

"Overall I was encouraged by our performance," Harper said. "I like where we are and now it's time to rest, let the team taper for the ACC meet and get faster."

Track

Williams, Taylor Help FSU Track & Field Leap To Success in New York

Freshman Kimberly Williams sets the best triple jump mark in the nation.

New York City - Florida State topped off two days of competition at the New Balance Invitational with two career-best, first-place performances from Jamaican natives Kimberly Williams and Ray Taylor in the triple jump. In all the Seminoles notched two automatic and three provisional qualifying marks at the Armory Track in New York City.

Two weeks after freshman Williams launched herself to the top of the national triple jump standings in Gainesville, she bested her own mark with a distance of 45' 0.25". The outstanding leap gave Williams first place in the event as well as an automatic qualifying mark. It also earned her the all-time FSU indoor triple jump record.

All-American transfer Taylor also picked up an automatic qualifying mark in his first jump of the season, notching his best indoor triple jump to date with a 53' 2.75". Taylor, the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Triple Jump Champion, now holds the fourth-best mark in the nation as well as the fourth-best mark in FSU history.

In addition to its success in the field, Florida State had a great showing on the track as well, posting three provisional marks for the NCAA Indoor Championships next month. All-American junior Michael Ray Garvin provisionally qualified in the 60m dash with a fourth-place time of 6.70. Fellow All-American junior Tywayne Buchanan picked up a fourth-place qualifying time of 47.32 in the 400m dash. Freshman Brandon Byram picked up his first provisional mark in the 200m with a seventh-place time of 21.44.

The Seminole women's 4x400m relay team also had a successful day , posting a fourth-place, 3:42.55 performance. Freshman Ngoni Makusha leapt to a second-place victory in the long jump with a 25'4.5" mark.

Florida State will head to Arkansas next week for the Tyson Invitational, which will be the team's final meet before heading to ACC Indoors in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 29.

Softball

FLORIDA STATE CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF EARLY BIRD TOURNAMENT

A three-run homer in the top of the seventh by Brittany Osmon clinched the win for the Seminoles.

Tallahassee, Fla. - Despite the loss to Troy earlier in the day, Florida State kept Louisville from a perfect weekend with a 6-4 win on JoAnne Graf Field as the Early Bird Tournament came to a close Saturday, February 9. Senior and tournament MVP Brittany Osmon's seventh inning home run secured the victory and the tournament crown as the Seminoles advance to 2-2 on the season.

In the top of the seventh, Florida State had runners on first and second with two outs and the score tied at three apiece with Osmon up to bat. With an 0-1 count, Osmon took a swing and knocked a bomb 200-feet over the right field wall for the second FSU homerun of the tournament. Three RBI's would score as the Seminoles pulled ahead 6-4 with a pop-up to second by Robin Ahrberg ending the inning for the Seminoles.

"I love it, that's what you play for," Osmon said. "I wasn't going out there to hit a homerun; I just wanted to help the team by hitting the ball hard and trying to get a base hit. It was pretty sweet that I got it over the fence."

With FSU ahead by three, the Cardinals had three outs left to stay in the game as they started the bottom of the seventh with a double by Kristi Cunningham who would score the final run of the game for Louisville.

Taking the win for Florida State was sophomore Terese Gober who pitched seven complete innings in the victory over Louisville, ending the weekend at 2-1. Earlier in the day against Troy, Gober set a new career high of 12 strikeouts and brings her season total to 26 after shutting down three in her second game of the day.

"We had our good and bad moments this weekend," head coach JoAnne Graf said. "We didn't look our best against Troy but I saw a one-hundred percent turn-around against Louisville tonight. They came out aggressive and looked good throughout which is the kind of game I hope to see all season."

Having a strong game in the batter's box was junior Jessica Gilmore who set a new FSU career hits record after going 3-for-4 with two RBI's and two runs scored.

Leading the Seminoles at the end of four games is senior Whitney Buckmon who went 9-for-15 and averaged .600 over the two-day tournament. Buckmon also led the team with two stolen bases one three attempts, bringing her Florida State career total to 47.

2008 Early Bird All-Tournament Team

Whitney Buckmon (cf) - Florida State

Terese Gober (p) - Florida State

MVP Brittany Osmon (1b) - Florida State

Kristi Cunningham (cf) - Louisville

Melissa Roth (c) - Louisville

Kristen Wadwell (p) - Louisville

Jennifer Fox (3b) - Southern Miss

Ashlyn Williams (p) - Troy

Florida State is back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 12 as they take on in-town rival Florida A&M at 6:00 p.m. The game will be played on JoAnne Graf Field but will count as a home game for the Rattlers. Be sure to check Seminoles.com for updates as the 2008 Seminole softball season continues.

Saint Leo

Softball

SAINT LEO SOFTBALL OPENS SEASON WITH SERIES SWEEP

Saint Leo, Fla. (February 9, 2008) - The Saint Leo University softball team got off on the right foot this season as they swept their double header against Arkansas-Monticello in non-conference action. Game one was picked up by the Lions 3-0, followed by a hard fought 7-6 game two victory.

Game one was witness to an outstanding pitching performance by Ashley Urbanik (Jr., Riverview, Fla.). She threw a complete game two-hit shut out accompanied by 13 strikeouts, which ties her career best set last season versus Florida Gulf Coast. Dominating pitching along with stingy defense and timely hitting gave the Lions their first win of the 2008 regular season.

The offense was provided by Ally Maddox (Jr., Brandon, Fla.) as she drove in all three Saint Leo runs. The bulk of the damage was done in the first inning as Elysha Agen (Fr., Palm Harbor, Fla.) and Amanda Patrick (Fr., Tampa, Fla.) both reached on singles up the middle to start the game. After two outs, Ally Maddox dropped a ball over the second baseman's head and right in front of the right fielder. She drove in her third run of the game as drive a ball up the middle bring home Ashley Urbanik from second. Maddox would finish the day going 5-6.

Urbanik shut down Cotton Blossom hitting in game number one as she picked her first shutout of the regular season. Arkansas-Monticello had been shut out in four of their first five games.

Game number two had a different look to it as both offenses woke up and each had big innings. On the mound for the Lions in game number two was Kiki VonHolt (Sr., New Port Richey, Fla.). Von Holt pitched three innings in which she gave up four runs on six hits. The Lion offense was there to back her up though as they were able to come through with seven runs including a five run third. Leading the way for the Lions in game number two was Amanda Patrick who delivered her first home run of her Lions' career. She would also drive in what would prove to be the game winning RBI with two outs in the sixth inning as she drove in April Slate. Patrick would finish the day going 5-7 with three RBI, a home run, and two stolen bases.

The Cotton Blossoms would cut the lead down to one in the top of the seventh but that would be as close as they would come as Ashley Urbanik, who was brought back into the game in relief of VonHolt in the fourth, would close the night as she began it, with a strikeout. Urbanik would close out the day with 20 combined strikeouts and picking up her first two victories of the 2008 regular season.

The Lions return to action this Tuesday, February 12 at 5:00 p.m. at University Field in double header action against No. 15 Valdosta State Blazers.

Baseball

SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY BASEBALL TEAM SPLITS PAIR OF GAMES

Lions Fall 7-4 to Lynn in Conclusion of Friday's Contest, Then Defeat Nova Southeastern 9-5

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (February 9, 2008) - The Saint Leo University baseball team (3-3) split a pair of games on Saturday, falling to Lynn University (4-1) by a score of 7-4 in the conclusion of Friday's rain-delayed contest, then defeating Nova Southeastern (4-3) by a 9-5 scoreline in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Aaron McLamar (Jr., Hudson, Fla.) led the way for the Lions, going a combined 3-for-7 with three RBI, three runs and a home run. Jonathan Duncan (Jr., Starke, Fla.) and T.J. Alonzo (Jr., Tampa, Fla.) also had three RBI apiece, while Alonzo hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season, and has now homered in four straight contests.

Saint Leo and Lynn picked up their game in the top of the fourth inning with Lynn ahead 5-0, following the postponement due to heavy rains in Miami Shores, Fla. on Friday. The Knights added to their lead immediately following the restart, as Joe Arminio delivered and RBI single. The Lions got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth when Alonzo connected on leadoff home run.

Saint Leo surrendered another run in the fifth, but rallied with a three-run sixth highlighted by McLamar's two-run homer. However, the Lions were unable to rally any further down the stretch, as starter Ryan Clark (Sr., Tampa, Fla.) was saddled with the loss (0-2)

In the second game of the day, Saint Leo got off to a fast start in the first inning when Alonzo hit a two-run homer giving the Lions a 2-0 lead. The teams each scored runs in the third, and Saint Leo increased its lead to 4-2 with an RBI double by Duncan.

The Lions erupted for five runs in the top of the ninth with a pair of runs scoring on bases loaded walks. An RBI groundout by Dale Slimick (Jr., Sarasota, Fla.) was then followed by a two-run single by Duncan to give the Lions a 9-1 lead.

The Sharks rallied with four runs in the bottom of the ninth, but senior closer Matt Smith (Dade City, Fla.) came in to shut the door by recording the final out with the tying run on deck to secure his second save of the year. Reid Tilson (Jr., Brandon, Fla.) picked up the win on the hill, improving to 1-1 on the year.

The Lions will return home to face the University of West Florida tomorrow in a non-conference game at Southard Stadium, rounding out their busy weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Eckerd

Softball

SOFTBALL STILL WINLESS AFTER GETTING SWEPT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd College softball team was hoping opening their home schedule would help them notch their first win of 2008, but that was not the case as visiting Palm Beach Atlantic swept the Tritons 3-1 and 7-2 to drop EC to 0-7.

The Tritons, who have been outscored 52-5 so far this season, look to rebound next weekend in the Valdosta State Softball Tournament.

Baseball

ECKERD BASEBALL SWEPT BY WEBBER INTERNATIONAL

BABSON PARK, Fla. - The Eckerd College baseball team has dropped their fourth straight game as they were swept by host Webber International University 3-2 and 7-6.

The Tritons look to get back on the winning track as they visit Florida College on Tuesday.

[Last modified February 10, 2008, 00:19:30]