Sports Lowdown

Grant McKown - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Florida Tech and Saint Leo both showcased their offense on Saturday, as the teams combined for 38 runs in a doubleheader. The Lions took game one 11-5 and the Panthers stormed back to take game two, 17-5. The Panthers hit six home runs in game two alone, three of those coming in the first inning. They hit two in game one, including a leadoff homer from Grant McKown . Saint Leo came back with three runs in the bottom of the second, before the Panthers got one back in the top of the third, on a Dan Szpik RBI single. Florida Tech starter Tyler Deel ran into trouble again in the bottom of the sixth, after getting the first two outs. Derek Gibree walked and went to second on a Lane Stancil single. An RBI single by Dylan Harris made it 4-1. That was the end of the day for Deel, who gave way to Justin Barney . A two-run double by Mata and an RBI single by Chase Turner, gave the home team a 7-2 lead. Rhett Willis took ove...

Reid Neal - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Reid Neal broke a 4-4 seventh inning tie with a two-run home run Friday night, sending the Florida Tech Panthers to a 7-4 win over Sunshine State Conference foe, Saint Leo. It was the seventh long ball of the season for Neal. Florida Tech (24-15, 8-5 SSC) took an early lead with three runs in the top of the second, against Lions’ starter Tyler Bauman. Dan Szpik singled and after Nick Capra walked, David Wilson singled Szpik home, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third and Bauman proceeded to walk Ryan Sinzenich and Vincenzo Catanza , giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Trent Masih hit into a double play, allowing the third run to score. The Panthers added a run in the third, when John Sternagel walked stole second and later got caught between third and home, before scoring on an errant throw. That made it 4-0. T y Cohen , who got the start for the Panthers stayed out o...

Allie Modica - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography Sara Grenier and Allie Modica tallied six goals each Tuesday night, as the Panthers trampled the Saint Leo Lions 22-7 in a Sunshine State Conference women’s lacrosse matchup. The Panthers surpassed the 200-goal mark for the second time in school history. For Grenier, the current Sunshine State Conference Offensive Player of the week, it was her second consecutive six-goal game. Grenier wasted no time picking up right where she left off against Regis on Friday , scoring the first goal of the night 2:17 into the game, against Lions starting goaltender Erin Davis. Modica scored 55 seconds later, setting the tone for the night, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. Saint Leo cut the lead to 2-1, before Grenier scored with 24:47 left. Sam Schiano picked up a yellow card for the Panthers, but the defense and Panthers goalie Stephanie Stuart kept the Lions off the board. Schiano made up for the yellow card moments later, g...

Brett Pohlmeyer - Photo credit:James Ragan Photography The 19 th ranked Florida Tech Panthers took one on the chin Saturday, losing to a very good Saint Leo team, 13-8 in a Sunshine State Conference lacrosse game. The Panthers never led in this one, getting within one goal a few different times, before Saint Leo would create distance. Saint Leo (9-3, 1-2 SSC) jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Panthers goalie Daniel Flock , to start the game, before Carson Clough got the Panthers on the board, with 4:18 to go in the first quarter. A man-up goal by Nick Wynne , made it 3-2 with 1:05 to go, but Anthony Visintin pushed the lead to two, with his goal 28 seconds before the quarter ended. Brett Pohlmeyer cut the Lions lead to 4-3, 2:02 into the second, but Saint Leo went on a three-goal run, making it 7-3, before Cody Martin scored with a man advantage, with 2:22 to go in the half. Jake Gilmour answered with a man-up goal, to double the Lions lead. The Panthers (6-5, 2...

Karina Suicava - Photo credit: James Ragan The Florida Tech softball team has been playing well as of late, but they ran into a buzz saw on Wednesday, losing to the fifth-ranked Saint Leo Lions 11-3 in game one and 7-0 in game two. The first game was picked up in the top of the first, after lightning forced the game to be suspended on Tuesday. With the sweep, the Lions run their win streak to 10 in a row, while Florida Tech had won two in a row. In game one, Saint Leo got on the board in the top of the second, when Alyssa Wash had an RBI double against Florida Tech starter Rachel Pence . The Lions would break things open in the third, with a seven-run outburst. After Karina Suicava made a great diving catch to rob Rachel Heath of a hit to start the inning, Pence walked Ciera Schumaker and Samantha Ohmie. After Brittany Creamer singled to load the bases. A walk and a hit by pitch made it 3-0 and after Pence got Wash on strikes, an RBI fielder’s choice by Sommer Pol...