BOCA RATON, Fla. – Outstanding pitching efforts by Joe Perrotta and Kentrail Pierce followed by timely hitting from up and down the lineup helped Lynn University's baseball team take both games of the twinbill against Florida Southern on Friday.  Perrotta tossed eight innings in a 4-3 game one victory while Kentrail Pierce went the distance for the complete game shutout in a 6-0 win in the second contest.  Lynn improves to 19-9 overall and 4-1 in the Sunshine State Conference.

Two out rallies are the lifeblood of great teams and Ryan Lashley keyed one in the first inning with a two out single.  Two more base knocks from Jason Matusik and Paul Stortini and the Fighting Knights led 1-0.

Florida Southern (12-13, 6-2 SSC) grabbed the lead in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of a fielding error by LU to score two runs but the Blue & White capitalized on a Mocs gaffe in the home half of the inning as Cory Elasik brought home Paul Stortini with a sacrifice fly.

Perrotta was not at his best but battled for eight innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, two earned with three walks and four strikeouts to pick up his fifth victory on the mound.

Trailing 3-2 though in the eighth, No. 9 hitter Mike Gonzalez reached base with his first hit of the afternoon and was driven home two batters later by Alex Freedman to knot the game up.  Matusik then put the game in LU's favor with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Lynn turned the game over to Andrew Melchor in the ninth and the junior righty baffled the Moccasins at every turn.  Melchor fanned the first two batters he faced then struck out Conor Szczerba on a filthy breaking ball to pick up his sixth save.

A two-out rally in the first inning of game two was all LU needed to secure the win.  Lashley once again jumpstarted his teammates with a single through the left side of the infield and Matusik drove him home with his team-leading 11th double of the year, a shot into the gap in right center.  Stortini added a RBI single and Lynn led 2-0.

Gonalez and Freedman drove in two more runs in the second inning and all of a sudden the Fighting Knights were leading 4-0 and not turning back.

Pierce (5-1) was sharp on the hill, allowing just three hits and walking four but striking out four batters.  He allowed a runner past second only once.  He is now tied with Perrotta for the SSC lead in wins while lowering his conference-best earned run average to 1.12.

Looking to add a couple more insurance runs late in the game, Gonzalez drove in his second run of the game with a sac fly to center field and Enrique Perez smacked his third hit of the game to bring home Sal Giardina.

Lashley and Matusik each extended their hitting streaks to eight games while Matusik has also reached base in 11 consecutive games.

The Fighting Knights will try for the three-game sweep over Florida Southern on Saturday, March 23.  First pitch is slated for noon.  Fans can listen to the action live at LynnFightingKnights.com and receive in-game updates by following @LUKnights on Twitter and Instagram.