Saint Leo, Fla. – Lynn University's baseball team wasted little time in making a statement in Sunshine State Conference play, downing 23rd-ranked Saint Leo, 3-1, in its SSC opener on the road on Friday night. Nicholis Prather fanned 11 batters in 7.1 innings and earned the win, throwing a whopping 127 pitches. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Lynn 3, No. 23 SLU 1

Records: Lynn (8-3, 1-0 SSC), SLU (7-5, 0-1 SSC)

Location: Thomas B. Southard Stadium | Saint Leo, Fla.

All-Time Series: Saint Leo leads 43-33

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STATS OF THE GAME:

• Prather was masterful in earning his second win of the season, striking out 11 while allowing just three hits and one earned run. 
• Jake Buxbaum then slammed the door shut on any hopes of a Lion comeback, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings to earn his first career save and seal the victory for the Blue and White. 
• Shayne Fontana and Joe Argumedo came around to score in the third to put Lynn on top via two SLU miscues, a wild pitch and throwing error on a pickoff, respectively. 
• Saint Leo closed the gap with an RBI double in the third, but couldn't muster any more offense, collecting just four hits in the game.
• An Alejandro Martinez RBI single scored Fontana, his second run scored of the evening, to provide insurance for the Fighting Knights in the seventh. 
• Lynn finished with three runs on 11 hits and didn't commit an error. 
• Fontana (triple) and Anthony Sanabria (double) smashed the only extra-base hits of the game for head coach Rudy Garbalosa's men. 
• Martinez and Argumedo each collected three hits to pace the Blue and White attack. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• After being swept by SLU to open the 2018 SSC campaign, this is the Fighting Knights' first win over Saint Leo since a 12-10 victory on April 8, 2017. 
• This pitcher's duel featured a combined 30 strikeouts in the tilt, 18 from Lynn and 12 by Saint Leo. 
• The victory is the first over a ranked opponent for the Blue and White since March 23, 2018, a 4-3 win over No. 3 Florida Southern in Lakeland. 
• Lynn's 8-3 start is its best since starting 12-3 during the 2015 season when it advanced to the NCAA Tournament. 

UP NEXT: 

Lynn concludes its three-game series with SLU tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 23 with a doubleheader at 1 and 4 p.m.