Saint Leo, Florida (March 1)-The Saint Anselm College baseball scored five runs in the top of the ninth to come back and beat the Lions of Saint Leo University 11-10 in the day game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Southard Stadium. In the night-cap the Hawks fell to the Lions 9-8 in seven innings. The split makes the Hawks 1-2 on the young season, while the Lions end the day 4-12.

In the day game, The Hawks jumped on the scoreboard early on an RBI single from Saint Anselm catcher Matt Sucharewicz (Peabody, Mass.) scoring left-fielder TJ Bowler (Pittsfield, Mass.) to make it 1-0 going into the bottom of the first.

Junior pitcher Matt Stone (West Roxbury, Mass.) had trouble getting out of the first inning, giving up five runs including a lead-off home run to Saint Leo's centerfielder Kyle Hobbs (Dade City, Florida), to put the Hawks down 5-1.

In the third Saint Anselm would chip away at the lead on a pair of sac-flies from Alex Aguilar (Newbury, Mass.) and Ben Waldrip (Medford, Mass.) to make it 5-3.

After Saint Leo added a run in the bottom of the third and fourth for the 7-3 lead, the Aguilar would knock in his second RBI of the game on a fielders choice scoring Ben Gunn (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) to cut into the Saint Leo lead.

The top of the seventh featured two runs for the visiting Hawks on another sac-fly from Waldrip. TJ Murphy (Reading, Mass.) would later score on a throwing error to cut the lead to 7-6.

Saint Leo would add to their lead in the eighth on a solo home-run by Aaron McLamar (Hudson, Florida) and a two-run dinger by Eugene Garnett (Tampa, Florida) to make it 10-6 Lions going into the final inning.

The Hawks would then explode for five runs in the top of the ninth inning. Waldrip and Jimmy Garrigan (Plymouth, Mass.) would crack back-to-back RBI doubles to make it 10-8. Gunn came up with the bases loaded and cracked a three-RBI double to give the Hawks the 11-10 victory.

Junior relief pitcher David Giarrusso (Cranston, R.I.) faced and retired six batters in the eighth and ninth inning to pick up his first victory of the season.

In the night cap, the Hawks started right where they left off scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. Bowler led the game off with a double and after advancing to third scored on a wild pitch for the 1-0 Saint Anselm lead. Still in the top of the first Garrigan would cut an RBI double scoring Stone. With two outs Tim Griswold (Holmdel, N.J.) hit a two-RBI single to give the Hawks a 4-0 lead.

Saint Leo would answer back by scoring nine runs in the next four innings and take a 9-5 lead.

Saint Anselm would add one in the fifth on an RBI single up the middle from Eric Baca (Franklin, N.H.) and two in the seventh on an RBI double from Waldrip and an RBI walk from Stone for the 9-8 loss in seven innings.

Hawk freshman Tim Cooney (East Bridgewater, Mass.) took the loss going three innings and giving up seven earned runs, while Matt Smith (Land O'Lakes, Florida) went six innings in relief to pick up the win.

The Hawks return to the field tomorrow, as they will play at 1 p.m. at the University of Tampa and a 7 p.m. game at Saint Leo University.