SAINT LEO, Fla. – Nationally-ranked Saint Leo took both games from Parkside baseball Tuesday while the team was in Florida for a spring break trip, as the No. 24 Lions won game one 6-1 and took game two 3-2 in extra innings.
 
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Game one was a pitching duel for the first four innings as Saint Leo led 1-0 heading into the fifth, but the Lions pulled ahead big with a two-run fifth inning and a three-run sixth inning. The Rangers plated a run in the seventh inning with runners on the corners after back-to-back singles by Justin Bennett and Dominic Esposito followed by an RBI groundout by Paul Weise.
 
Connor Cunningham pitched the first 5.0 innings and suffered the loss, while Jake Macaluso finished off the final inning. Lovell Chandler went 2-for-3 with a double in the leadoff spot while Bennett finished 1-for-2 with a run. The Rangers had six hits as a team.
 
Game two was close throughout, but the Lions were able to once again jump out in front with a run in the top of the first. Parkside tied it up at 1-1 with a run in the third inning off a Chandler RBI single up the middle that scored Hunter Weddel. Saint Leo took the lead back with a run in the fourth, but again the Rangers tied it up, this time off an Esposito RBI single up the middle to score Troy Bittenbender in the sixth inning.
 
Parkside was able to pitch out of trouble in the bottom of the seventh, stranding runners at second and third with no outs, but the Lions finally pushed the winning run across in the eighth inning. The Rangers put the go-ahead run on twice in the top of the eighth inning, but both runners were caught stealing.
 
In game two, Weddel went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot while Chandler went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Esposito finished 1-for-2 with an RBI. Nicholas Rana pitched the first 6.0 innings while Hunter Weddel pitched the final 1.2 innings and suffered the loss.
 
The Green & White will finish out their three-game series with the Lions on Wednesday at noon.