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Compiled from school press releases
Published February 25, 2008

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SOUTH FLORIDA

Baseball

Bulls Take 2-of-3 From Sycamores

TAMPA - The University of South Florida baseball team dropped the final game of the three-game series to the Indiana State Sycamores, 6-4, Sunday afternoon at Red McEwen Field.

"We didn't do a very good job offensively and we paid for it today," said head coach Lelo Prado. "Our schedule is only going to get tougher and we cannot be satisfied winning two of three games."

The loss drops the Bulls to 2-1 on the season while the Sycamores improve to 1-2.

Freshman Randy Fontanez was a solid starter for USF, pitching five innings, giving up one run while scattering four hits and striking out one, but did not factor in the decision.

"Randy is a freshman and you've got to like what you see with him," added Prado. "It's a matter of those young guys like Fontanez gaining experience. We have a lot of those young guys and they're going to be great pitchers for us."

USF opened the game in the bottom of the first when junior Brian Hobbs doubled to the gap in right center, scoring sophomore shortstop Addison Maruszak, who reached base on a single to left earlier in the inning.

USF got back on the board in the sixth when Hobbs, who doubled to the right field wall in the previous at-bat, scored on a Corey Johnson double to cut the ISU lead to two runs.

Hobbs doubled one more time on the afternoon, going 3-of-4 with a run and one RBI.

The Green and Gold put up two more in the seventh but they couldn't stop ISU, who scored runs in each of the final two innings to secure the 6-4 victory.

ISU pitcher Micah Spencer earned the win, tossing six innings, giving up seven hits and striking out seven to earn his first victory of the season.

USF freshman Derrick Stultz took the loss for the Bulls bringing his record to 0-1 on the year. Stultz pitched 3.1 innings striking out three and allowing two runs from four hits.

Maruszak extended his hit streak to three games, going 3-of-5 at the plate with three singles, raising his season batting average to a team-high .538.

The Bulls out-hit the Sycamores over the three-game series 30-24 and had three more extra-base hits (9-6).

The Bulls will return to Red McEwen Field on Thursday, Feb. 28 when they face the Oklahoma State Cowboys at 7 p.m.

Season tickets are still available for Bulls baseball, and can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls. Season tickets can be bought in three levels, the $100 family pack (two adults and two children), a single adult ($50) and a single youth/senior ($20). Extra adult and children's tickets can be added to the family pack for $50 and $20, respectively.

Softball

Bulls Sting Yellow Jackets, 1-0

Tampa- Senior Courtney Mosch delivered another stellar all-around performance as the University of South Florida softball team (8-5) defeated Georgia Tech, 1-0, to conclude the 2008 USF Louisville Slugger Sunday afternoon.

Mosch slammed a double deep into center field to lead off the second inning and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from senior outfielder Kit Dunbar. Sophomore Alison Savarese drove Mosch home with a double of her own to center field.

"Courtney Mosch continues to impress us with her performance on the mound," assistant coach Amber Wright said. "She has passion for the game and for her team and it shows when she gets a ball in her hands."

Mosch, the starting pitcher against the Yellow Jackets, improved to 5-3 on the season in the pitcher's circle. The senior from Nazareth, Pennsylvania pitched five innings, gave up one hit and recorded two strikeouts before freshman Capri Catalano took over.

Catalano finished off the game for the Bulls allowing one hit and striking out three Georgia Tech batters over two innings of work.

Combined the two USF pitchers held the Yellow Jackets lineup to two hits on the day.

Georgia Tech (5-8) had one last chance to tie the game or better in the seventh inning. With two runners on and two outs, senior Savannah Brown, a National Player of the Year candidate, came to plate against the freshman Catalano. The Bulls' hurler struck Brown out swinging to end the game and the weekend for the Bulls.

USF went 2-2 on the weekend, with the other win coming by way of a 10-inning no-hitter against Hofstra on Friday.

"Georgia Tech is one of the top teams in the country," Wright said. "Today's win will build the confidence we need heading into next week's tournament."

Next weekend USF will hit the road for the first time this season, as they travel west to the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. The Bulls will face defending national champion Arizona at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 29 and will take on Iowa State at 8 p.m.

FLORIDA

Baseball

Adams' Big Day Helps Florida Sweep Siena, 13-6

GAINESVILLE - Freshman Josh Adams (Jacksonville) drove in five runs with a grand slam and a solo homer as Florida (3-0) completed a weekend sweep of Siena (0-3) with a 13-6 triumph on Sunday afternoon at McKethan Stadium. Freshman right-hander Tommy Toledo (Tampa) worked five innings in his collegiate debut, totaling five strikeouts and allowing five hits and two runs, to notch the victory. It was UF's first three-game sweep since defeating Georgia in Athens over March 30-April 1 of last season. Sophomore Clayton Pisani (Naples) went 3-for-3 with a pair of sacrifice flies and the Gators banged out 11 hits, stole six bases and turned three double plays.

"Any time you walk away with three wins you certainly feel good about it," head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Siena has a good club and I wouldn't be surprised to see them in an NCAA Regional. Some of the things that we have been trying to implement, such as being aggressive on the basepaths and putting the ball in play, showed this weekend."

"Fortunately, today was a good one for me," Adams said. "It was great to come out and start swinging a little bit better and I'm glad that I could help the team this afternoon."

Florida opened the scoring in its first at bat for the second-straight day, plating two runs on two hits off sophomore Craig Marcellus (0-1, 3.0 IP, 4 H, 6 R). Pisani singled to left with one down, advanced to second on a balk and scored on sophomore Cole Figueroa's (Tallahassee) base-hit up the middle. After Figueroa stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, senior Brandon McArthur (Seffner) walked on four pitches. A fielder's choice by senior Jon Townsend (London, Ky.) resulted in a 2-0 lead for the Gators.

Adams picked an opportune time for his first career homer, as he belted a grand slam on a 3-2 pitch with two down in third to give Florida a 6-0 cushion. Pisani doubled to left center and Figueroa followed with a walk before UF executed a double steal for a pair of runners in scoring position. After McArthur earned a free pass to fill the sacks with one down, Townsend's grounder to Marcellus forced Pisani at home for the second out. Adams stepped to the plate and sent a ball out of the yard that cleared the wall in left center.

Siena narrowed the gap to 6-2 in the fourth on a two-run shot by junior Eric Mruczek. Senior Rick Seltzer led off with a double down the right-field line and took third on a flyout by sophomore Gary DerHagopian. Mrcuzek tagged Toledo's next pitch over the fence in left field to end a 13-inning scoreless streak by the Saints dating back to a ninth-inning homer on Friday night.

The Gators answered in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Pisani to build a 7-2 advantage. Back-to-back singles by sophomore Hampton Tignor (Sarasota) and junior Avery Barnes (High Springs) set up the Orange and Blue's second successful double steal of the game. Soon after, Pisani collected his first RBI with his squad's first sac fly of the year.

Toledo departed after five full innings and was replaced by classmate Cody Barnes (San Mateo). Senior Jacob Willis started things off for Siena by reaching on a throwing error by Figueroa, UF's first defensive miscue of the year. Following a walk to Seltzer, DerHagopian stroked an RBI single to left center for an 8-3 margin. Barnes retired the next two batters before plunking junior Jason DeFilippo to load the sacks. The right-hander then uncorked consecutive wild pitches to allow both Seltzer and DerHagopian to score. After issuing a walk to senior Michael Ambury, another errant pitch from Barnes brought DeFilippo across resulted in an 8-6 score. A base on balls to freshman Kevin Quaranto and another wild pitch prompEdmondson (LaGrange, Ga.) had senior Moises Rivera fly out to center on his first pitch to strand the runners and keep UF in front.

The hosts rebounded with three runs in the bottom of the frame for an 11-6 lead. Tignor had drawn a one-out walk from freshman reliever Kyle Sumple and moved to third on a double into left center by Avery Barnes.

Pisani's second sac fly scored Tignor and a free pass to Figueroa gave the Gators two runners aboard before McArthur poked an RBI single on a hit-and-run play to plate Barnes. Sumple later let loose a wild pitch, enabling Figueroa to score. Pigott extended UF's lead to 12-6 in the seventh with a run-scoring single that scored freshman Evan Chambers (Lakeland). An RBI grounder by McArthur in the eighth that brought in Pisani finalized the 13-6 count.

For UF, the trio of Pisani, Adams (2-for-5) and Avery Barnes (2-for-5) turned in multiple-hit outings while eight different Siena players had one hit. Edmondson (2.0 IP), sophomore Tony Davis (Cooper City) (0.1 IP) and freshman Travis Lawler (College Station, Texas) (1.0 IP) provided scoreless relief to close the contest.

The Gators will host Eastern Michigan (0-3) on Tuesday and Wednesday at McKethan Stadium. Both games will begin at 6:30 p.m. The Eagles dropped three games at New Mexico over the weekend by scores of 16-7, 9-8 and 13-3.

Softball

The seventh-ranked University of Florida Softball team (19-0) won its third regular-season tournament on Sunday afternoon. The Gators took the Aquafina Invitational title with a 5-2 win over Notre Dame (4-5).

Junior Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin, Fla.) and freshman Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) each hit 2-for-3 on the day. Both of Hilberth's hits were bunt singles, while Paculba scored two of the Gators' five runs on the day.

Florida took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first inning. Junior Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.) was hit by a Brittney Bargar pitch to lead off. Hilberth followed with a bunt single to the Notre Dame pitcher. Paculba plated Waleszonia with a base hit up the middle for the 1-0 lead. Following a Notre Dame double play, junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) reached on a Notre Dame error, allowing Paculba to score from second.

Florida increased its lead to five runs in the fifth as Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) blasted a three-run home run out just inside the left field foul pole. That was Enea's fifth home run of the season, besting her total from last season.

Notre Dame came back, narrowing Florida's lead to three runs in the sixth inning. Florida junior pitcher Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) had a no hitter going until Notre Dame's Sarah Smith led off the sixth with a bloop base hit just on the grass in left field. Sadie Pitzenberger followed with a single through the left side and Katie Fleury walked to load the bases. The Gator defense pulled off a difficult double play from Gardiner to Hilberth at home and back to first where Paculba was covering. The play still left two Irish runners in scoring position for Heather Johnson. Johnson knocked a two-RBI base hit to left to make the score 5-2.

Nelson moved to 11-0 on the season as she fanned a career-high 13 Irish batters. She struck out the side in both the second and the seventh innings and threw six consecutive strikeouts in the first, second and third innings. Bargar took the loss for Notre Dame, evening her record at 3-3.

Florida goes away from the friendly confines of the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for the first time in 14 games next week as they travel to California. The Gators will play a single game at Long Beach State (rv) on Wednesday and face off against Oregon State (rv), Pacific, No. 23 Cal State Fullerton, Louisville (rv) and No. 12 Stanford in the Worth Invitational in Fullerton.

Men's tennis

No. 14 Florida Men's Tennis Defeats No. 9 Illinois, 6-1

For the second time in as many matches, the No. 14 University of Florida men's tennis team defeated a higher ranked opponent as the Gators knocked off No. 9 Illinois Sunday, 6-1, at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville. With the win, UF improved to 5-2 on the year, while the Illini slipped to 5-4.

"We had every advantage today and to our credit we used them," said head coach Andy Jackson. "The match could have easily been 6-1 the other way.

I've got a lot of respect for Illinois. The win will give us confidence, but it is confidence that is earned since they are a top 10 team. There is no question we played the best we have this year in doubles and we can build on that. We're getting better, but the challenge is ahead of us. We've got a long way to go, but we're on the path."

The win stopped a streak of five-straight wins in the series for the Illini with the last Gator victory coming on Feb. 15, 2001, in Seattle, Wash.

In doubles play, the first Gator win came on court three where Alex Lacroix and Nestor Briceno improved to 6-1 in duals on the year with an 8-4 decision over Marc Spicijaric and Waylon Chin.

UF's Jeff Dadamo and Greg Ouellette, who were paired for the first time, gave the Gators the 1-0 advantage by upsetting Ryan Rowe and Billy Heiser, 8-3, on the top court. The Illini tandem entered the match ranked 20th in the nation and Rowe is a two-time doubles All-American after winning the 2006 NCAA championship and a showing in the 2007 finals.

In singles play, Hochwalt and Hamui increased the lead to 3-0 with wins on five and six, respectively. Hochwalt defeated Waylon Chin, 6-1, 6-4.

With the win, he improved to 6-1 on the year. Hamui also took a straight-set victory as he took out Abe Souza, 6-1, 6-4, for his third-straight win.

Florida needed a win on any of the four remaining courts to take the match and each went into three sets. Illinois got on the board with a win on court four before Ouellette (No. 6) secured the match with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Rowe (No. 13). The win was the 100th of Ouellette's career as his record stands at 100-31.

Moments later, Lacroix (No. 58) built the lead to 5-1 as he defeated Spicijaric on court three, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-2. Briceno rounded out the list of UF winners by outlasting 77th-ranked Ruben Gonzales on court two where he was making his highest appearance in the lineup this year, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6).

Florida returns to the courts Monday, Feb. 25, to take on No. 22 Pepperdine at 3 p.m. The two programs last met in the 2006 NCAA Round of 16 in Palo Alto, Calif. Pepperdine went on to win the national title that season and is the third of four teams the Gators square off against in 2008 that have won a national crown in the last five years.

Women's tennis

No. 5 Florida Women's Tennis Defeats Texas, 5-2

AUSTIN, Texas - The fifth-ranked University of Florida women's tennis team earned a 5-2 victory over Texas at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Gators (6-1) opened the dual match by capturing the doubles point, sweeping the decision on all three courts like they have done in all seven contests this season. The Longhorns fell to 4-2 on the year, losing for the first time on their home courts where they had won their first four matches.

"We had some great efforts on the doubles courts," UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. "We were vocal, communicated well and that really set the tone for the start of the match. Midway through singles play, though, things got close and I was very proud of the way our senior, Whitney Benik, came through at the end. She won 6-0 in the third set and her decisiveness didn't create any drama."

After claiming the doubles point, freshmen Julia Cohen and Marrit Boonstra pushed Florida's lead to 3-0 in the team scoring with their respective straight-set victories. Cohen defeated Janja Corovic 6-3, 6-1, on court No.1, before Boonstra downed Sarah Lancaster 6-2, 6-3 at the No. 6 position.

Shortly after Cohen and Boonstra put the finishing touches on their wins, as both remained undefeated in their collegiate careers, the other four courts were very much undecided, with the majority splitting sets.

That set the stage for Benik, the lone senior on the singles court for the Gators, as she battled Caroline Larsson on the No. 4 court. Benik fought for the first set, 7-5, before the Longhorn freshman produced a 6-1 decision in the second set to force a deciding third, where Benik blanked Larsson 6-0 to seal the dual match win.

While Benik was polishing off the Florida victory, Texas got on the board with wins on courts No. 3 and 5, tightening the score to 3-2 before Benik's heroics. Gator sophomore Csilla Borsanyi provided the final decision of the match, as she earned a 5-7, 6-3, 10-6 win over Stephanie Davison at the No. 2 spot.

Florida returns to action on Friday, February 29, when the Gators launch their Southeastern Conference schedule playing host to No. 13 Vanderbilt at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex beginning at 5 p.m. Admission to all regular-season home matches is free.

Women's golf

No. 5 Women's Golf, Chudy Crowned Champions at Lady Gator Invitational

Gainesville - Florida recorded the lowest tournament total in school history and senior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar) won her first career title at the Lady Gator Invitational Sunday at the Mark Bostick Golf Course. The Lady Gators captured a title at their home tournament for the sixth time in nine years and their 16th championship in 36 years. All five Florida individuals in the rotation placed in the top 10.

UF posted a three-round score of 849, a 16-stroke difference from the previous record, to shatter marks of 865 from the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Classic in the fall and the 1985 Ryder Championships. Chudy broke Sandra Gal's low tournament score she set last season at the 2007

Lady Gator Invitational (210) by one stroke with a 1-under par 209.

"We struggled a little bit today but when it comes down to it, they played some of the best back-to-back-to back rounds of golf," said head coach Jill Briles-Hinton. "Tiffany did a fantastic job after a bogey, she bounced back and we were able to take it just one shot at a time. The team responded well on all three days and really put it together."

Sunshine was abundant as the greens continued to dry out throughout the morning and players had to continue to adjust to the speed of the greens.

Chudy fired her third straight round of even par or better with an even 70. She was consistent in the final round, firing two birdies and two bogeys. Chudy took over the lead for good when runner-up Cindy LaCrosse double-bogeyed her eighth hole.

LaCrosse gave Chudy an early scare, scoring birdies on her first two holes to pull even, but the double-bogey proved to be the clinching factor as Chudy stayed steady on the back nine to collect her first individual title.

"I was pleased that I played very well but I have to give credit to (Louisville runner-up) Cindy (LaCrosse) for playing a great tournament,"

Chudy said. "I wasn't thinking about winning but sticking with my plan and hoped that I would come out with a low score and I did. The greens were double-cut and rolled and made everything faster but my mentality was to come out and relax."

Senior Whitney Myers (East Berlin, Pa.) also received crystal hardware with a third-place finish. Myers was disappointed with her 2-over par 72 in the final round but was proud of the team effort. She and Chudy have been a part of three Lady Gator Invitational championship teams during their careers.

"I wasn't too happy with the way I played but the team did more than their part," Myers said. She added, "I am very happy I can replace my keychain because I broke the one I had from last year. We started and finished together and get ready for what's next."

Freshman Hannah Yun (Bradenton) had nine straight pars to open up her final round and closed out at 2-over par on the day and 4-over par in the event. She placed in a tie for fourth with Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge medalist Natalie Sheary (Wake Forest), garnering a top-10 finish in her second collegiate event.

Redshirt junior Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) also placed in the top 10, finishing in a tie for seventh. She was able to match her score of 72 from second-round play on Saturday and wound up with two birdies on the front nine.

Freshman Jessica Yadloczky (Casselberry) was able to place in a tie for ninth, closing out with seven consecutive pars. After rounds of even par and 1-over in her second round, she had unusual struggles, taking a double bogey on the third hole and was unable to get on track.

For Yadloczky, it still marked her third consecutive top-10 finish this year.

FLORIDA STATE

Baseball

FSU Downs Duquesne 15-3 In Series Finale

Tallahassee - Florida State (3-0) remained perfect on the season downing Duquesne (0-3) 15-3 on Sunday to sweep the weekend series. The Seminoles pounded out 15 hits for the second straight game including seven of the extra base variety, while freshman Mike McGee took a no hitter into the sixth inning in his first collegiate start to earn the victory. McGee also helped his cause at the plate going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. Ohmed Danesh and Jason Stidham also contributed to the Seminole offense on Sunday as both student-athletes drove in three runs each.

McGee (1-0) was impressive in his first career start as he faced just two batters over the minimum through the first five innings of work. The freshman right hander did not allow a hit to the Dukes until the sixth when pinch hitter Pat Kimutis led off the inning with a double to the gap in right center. McGee finished the game going five plus innings allowing three runs on two hits. He walked four and struck out four as he threw 89 pitches.

"This was a great weekend for Mike McGee," said head coach Mike Martin. "He showed a lot of poise on the mound and we are very, very proud of the way he handled every situation from pitching to hitting. He handled himself very well, to throw no hit ball for five innings is quite an accomplishment. I very proud of the way he played in his first outing."

"I was just hitting my spots," said McGee. "I was throwing my fastballs well and my off speed stuff was 50/50. But today was a lot of fun. I really love the fact that I got to hit and pitch today. That was one thing I didn't like about just pitching was not being able to hit. Not only did I get to pitch, but I was able to stay in the ball game and hit as the DH after I was done pitching. That was pretty awesome."

For the second straight game, Danesh and Stidham drove in three runs as the Seminoles finished the weekend batting .423 as a team scoring 44 runs on 44 hits. The Seminoles registered a .865 slugging percentage as over half their hits went for extra bases.

"We certainly didn't expect this power to come out over the weekend," added Guinn. "I was glad to see the young guys come out and hit the ball well. Mike threw the ball well today and swung the bat well all weekend."

The Seminoles broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third as Dennis Guinn and Danesh hit back-to-back RBI singles with two outs to give Florida State a 2-0 lead. Centerfielder Tyler Holt led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Stidham. Following a walk to catcher Buster Posey, Guinn stepped to the plate and with two outs hit a bounding ball up the middle plating Holt from second for the first run of the game. Posey would score one batter later on Danesh's single to right field.

Florida State followed an inning later with a seven-run fourth to increase its margin to 9-0. Stidham got things started as he unloaded on his second home run in as many days smashing a three-run shot over the fence in right scoring Ruairi O'Connor and Holt. After drawing a one-out walk, shortstop Tony Delmonico would come around to score on Guinn's RBI triple to deep center. It was Guinn's fifth career triple. Danesh followed with a double off the wall in right center scoring Guinn and would score one batter later on McGee's single to left. Stuart Tapley recorded his first RBI as a Seminole bringing home McGee on another double off the wall in right to close out the scoring.

After being shutdown for the first five innings, Duquesne finally solved McGee cracking the scoreboard with three runs in the top of sixth. The first four batters reached thanks to back-to-back hits by Kimutis and Andrew Heck and consecutive walks to Bill Torre and Chris Happ. With the bases loaded and no body out, Happ recorded an RBI drawing a 3-2 walk from McGee. That would end the afternoon for the Seminole starter as lefthander Ryan Vigue came out of the bullpen to replace McGee.

Vigue, making his first appearance in a Seminole uniform, registered two quick outs as he got Aaron Janusey to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. Heck scored on the play for the second Duquesne run. A wild pitch by Vigue would account for the third and final run for the Dukes before Mark Tracy would end the inning as he was caught looking on strikes.

The Seminole would tack on four more runs in the seventh to increase their lead to 13-3. Danesh and McGee highlighted the inning with consecutive RBI doubles. The double by Danesh was his second of the game. McGee just missed hitting his second home run of the season as his ball bounced off the top of the yellow marker in left field and back into the field of play.

Tommy Oravetz closed out the Seminole scoring in the eighth on a two-run homer over the fence in right. Oravetz entered the game as a pinch hitter and took a 2-1 offering out of the ball park for his second career round tripper. The home run was the 10th hit by the Seminoles this weekend. It wasn't until the 23rd game last year that the Seminoles would hit their tenth team home run.

Bo O'Dell and Buster Posey each worked an inning in relief. O'Dell allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two Duquesne batters. Posey pitched a perfect eighth inning recording a strikeout. The Leesburg, Ga., native made just his second career appearance on the mound for the Seminoles and first since February 11, 2007 when he pitched an inning against UNC Asheville.

The Seminoles will return to the diamond on Tuesday, February 26 in Clearwater, Fla., when Florida State will take on the Philadelphia Phillies in an exhibition contest at BrightHouse Networks Field. Game time against the Phillies is slated for 7:05 pm. Fans can still purchase tickets to the game by logging on to www.seminoles.com and clicking on the FSU/Phillies button on the front page. Fans must enter the promotional code (FSU) to buy tickets online.

Softball

Seminoles Drop Doubleheader To Tar Heels

TALLAHASSEE - In the second day of conference play, the Florida State softball team was unable to pull off a win in a doubleheader against North Carolina on Sunday. The Seminoles, now 8-6/1-2 in the ACC, fell 5-1 in game one and 7-4 in the second game to the Tar Heels on JoAnne Graf Field.

The Seminoles made a late surge in the seventh inning of game two, scoring all four runs in eight at-bats. Freshman heavy-hitter Allison Collins got FSU on the board when she pinch-hit in the fourth spot for Kristie McConn . With one out and runners on first and third, Collins swung at the second pitch and cranked it over the left field wall for her fourth home run of the year. Collins continues to lead the team in homers and RBI's with 16.

Senior Whitney Buckmon would go on to score the final run for Florida State off an RBI single by Ashley Stager . Sophomore Terese Gober , now 4-4, was crediting with the loss in game two after giving up five hits, four runs (two of them earned) and striking out only two.

Freshman Sarah Hamilton took the 5-1 loss in the first game of the day, her first of the season. The Tallahassee native gave up five earned runs on three hits and was able to strike out six before Melissa May was brought in to relieve.

Monica Montez scored the Seminoles' lone run in game one and also recorded a hit off Tar Heels' pitcher Danielle Spaulding.

Junior Jessica Gilmore led the weekend series for FSU, going 3-for-9 with one run, one walk and getting on-base three times. Buckmon also went 3-for-9 and scored a run on both days.

The Seminoles return to action as they rematch the Troy Trojans, who beat FSU in the Early Bird Tournament, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, in a double header beginning at 3:00 p.m.

SAINT LEO

Baseball

Ft. Myers - The Saint Leo University baseball team (10-5) suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of Wheeling Jesuit University (1-0) on Sunday at the Gene Cusic Classic in Ft. Myers.

Saint Leo CF Kyle Hobbs (Jr., Dade City) went 3-for-4 on the day, while junior LF T.J. Alonzo (Jr., Tampa) gave the Lions their only run of the afternoon with his team-leading ninth home run of the season. Braulio Pardo (Jr., Land O'Lakes), Bobby Munoz (Jr., Tampa) and Jonathan Duncan (Jr., Starke) all registered one hit in the contest to stretch their hitting streaks to nine games overall.

Overall, the Lions were shut down by WJU starter Cody Stickdorn who threw a complete game, scattering eight hits and allowing just the one run. Stickdorn struck out eight en route to the win, out-dueling Saint Leo starter Carter Clements (Sr., Eustis) who allowed two runs (one earned) in 7.0 innings of work while striking out seven. The loss was Clements' first of the season (2-1).

The Cardinal jumped to a lead in the fifth inning after a scoreless start to the game. A two-run single by 2B Ricky Szeligo gave Wheeling Jesuit a 2-0 lead, which was all the cushion Stickdorn would need.

The Lions cut the lead in half with Alonzo's fourth homer in three games, as he led off the sixth with a solo shot. However, that was all the Saint Leo offense could muster, as WJU added an insurance run in the top of the ninth and Stickdorn concluded his complete-game effort by striking out the side in the bottom of the inning.

Saint Leo will head to Valdosta, Ga. on Tuesday for a non-conference meeting with Valdosta State University. First pitch is slated for 5:00 p.m.

Softball

LIONS WIN TWO OUT OF THREE IN FINAL DAY OF ECKERD COLLEGE SPRING INVITATIONAL

Clearwater - The Saint Leo softball team (9-2) won two out of three games at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater. In the first of three games, the Lions defeated #17 Midwestern State (9-8), 2-1. The Lions followed the defeat of the Mustangs by winning 3-0 against the Eckerd College Tritons (3-15) in dramatic fashion. The Lions would fail in their attempt of a three game sweep in day two of the tournament as they fell to the University of Tampa (13-4), 6-3.

Saint Leo took on Midwestern State in the first game of the day, defeating the # 15 Mustangs 2-1. Leading the way for the Lions was Tatiana Casis (Jr., Port St. Lucie). Casis went 2-for-3 on the day with a single and the first of her two home runs on the afternoon. The Lions shortstop once again cleared both sets of fences at the Eddie C. Moore complex with the long home run to left centerfield. The Lions would collect six hits total on the day and were able to push runs across in the third and fourth innings. That is all Lions pitcher Ashley Urbanik (Jr., Riverview, Fla.) would need as she went the distance, scattering eight hits, and striking out seven. The Lions were able to overcome being outhit and committing one more error than the Mustangs.

The second game of the day was witness to a pitchers duel between Lions' starter Kiki VonHolt (Sr., New Port Richey) and Ashley Palmer of Eckerd College. VonHolt (3-0) went the whole way only giving up four hits, striking out four, and not giving up a single run. Each pitcher matched zeros the entire game and the Lions could only manage three hits against the Tritons' Palmer. Two of those three hits came in the bottom of the seventh through when Ally Maddox doubled to deep left center with two outs to put runners on second and third. That double set the stage for designated player Stephanie Discepolo (Jr., Spring Hill, Fla.) to win the game for the Lions. With two down, Discepolo sent the Ashley Palmer delivery deep into left center field and over the fence for a walk off three-run homerun and the Lions home with a hard fought victory.

The Lions came out in game three with the intentions of sweeping the three game afternoon bill, but instead met a resilient University of Tampa team. The Lions jumped out in front early on two infield singles as Tatiana Casis reached on an infield single bringing in Elysha Agen (Fr., Palm Harbor). The Spartans bats would stay hot though as they would tie the game in the second and then scored four in the third inning to take the lead, 5-1. The Spartans would score their last run on of the game in the fourth to make it 6-1. The Lions wouldn't quit though, with two down in the top of the sixth inning, Tatiana Casis would send a Spartans pitch over the centerfield fence driving in two. The Lions couldn't muster anymore offense though as they fell to the Spartans Sunday afternoon.

The Lions return to action this Friday, February 29 as they open home conference play against Florida Tech. First pitch for the single game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Golf

SAINT LEO TIED FOR FOURTH AFTER OPENING ROUND OF THOMAS UNIVERSITY WINTER INVITATIONAL

Valdosta, Ga. - The Saint Leo University men's golf team was tied for fourth-place following the opening round of the 2008 Thomas University Winter Invitational on Sunday. The event is being held at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Ga.

The Lions shot 307 on the opening day and were tied with Edward Waters College. Johnson & Wales University was the first round leader with a score of 280. Saint Leo was just three shots behind second-place Savannah College of Art & Design (304) and one shot behind Webber International University (306) in the 12-team field.

Saint Leo was led by junior Matt Cornuet (Sebring) and walk-on freshman Tom Lynn (Lemont, Ill.) who both fired opening day scores of 76. Senior Chris Marinaro (Pittsfield, Mass.) carded an opening round 77, while sophomore Cole Cisbani (New Port Richey) finished round one with a 78.

The tournament will conclude tomorrow with an 18-hole final round beginning at 8:00 a.m.

[Last modified February 24, 2008, 22:06:50]

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