BOCA RATON, Fla. –Lynn University's baseball team dropped a hotly contested series opener against No. 19 Florida Southern 3-2 on Saturday afternoon.  Andrew Virgili allowed two earned runs in 8.1 innings of work with five strikeouts while Steven Fernandez drove in two runs.  The Fighting Knights drop to 19-15 overall and 4-6 in the Sunshine State Conference.

Moccasins' starter Gus Scholsser (5-1) had little trouble in the opening frame against LU but found the middle and bottom half of the order a little less forgiving in the second.  Richie McVey jumped on a 3-1 fastball for a single up the middle before Dane Derstine was hit on the left elbow on a 1-1 pitch.

Rattled just a bit, Schlosser retired the next two Knights but surrendered a two-out, two run double into the left center field gap to Fernandez to put Lynn on top 2-0.

A costly error in the fourth helped FSC (22-8, 8-2 SSC) to get on the scoreboard when a routine fly ball to the outfield was dropped, allowing Colin Kaline to get to second.  He was brought home by Kelvin Clark off a double to left center but Clark was stranded at second as Virgili pitched out of danger.

Zach Maggard knotted the game at two in the fifth inning when he put a 0-2 fastball into the trees in right field for his sixth home run of the year.  Maggard then scored the eventual game-winning run in the eighth after leading off the frame with a double.  Two batters later, Cory Jensen plated him with a ball just under the glove of Leo Carrillo in right field to give Florida Southern a 3-2 lead.

Lynn thought it had a chance to even things up in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with just one out but a line drive to third doubled-up the Blue & White and ended the rally attempt.

Virgili (6-4) allowed six hits, three runs, two earned and struck out five in 8.1 innings pitched.  Schlosser fanned seven in eight innings, surrendering five hits and two runs.

The Fighting Knights close out their series with a double-header beginning at noon on Sunday.  Fans can follow the action live by logging on to www.LynnFightingKnights.com and selecting "Game Central."