AUBURNDALE, Fla. - The Saint Michael's College baseball team topped Lesley University, 13-1, on Thursday during the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational at the Lake Myrtle Sports Park. Both teams now stand at 3-6. Thursday's game was played as a seven-inning contest.

Senior Don McGuirl (Warwick, R.I./Saint Sebastian's School) led the Purple Knights' 12-hit attack with a 3-for-3 day, coming within a home run of the cycle while also scoring three runs. Classmate George Buteau (Burlington, Vt./Trinity-Pawling School) and first-year Peter Bocchino (Saugus, Mass./The Governor's Academy) were both 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while sophomore Steven Auger (Hopkinton, N.H./Hopkinton) hit his first career homer while providing two hits and two runs. First-year PJ Jasak (Palmer, Mass./Wilbraham & Munson Academy) provided three RBIs, and junior Matt Feeney (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth) plated a pair. Seniors Michael Dougherty (Albany, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy/Schenectady County CC) and Nicky Elderton (Shelburne, Vt./Rice Memorial) both scored twice.

First-year Zack Lanzillo (Rutland, Vt./Mount Saint Joseph Academy) earned his first career win after allowing one run on three hits while striking out six batters in four innings. Senior Barry Maily (Moosup, Conn./Plainfield) threw two scoreless innings in relief and first-year Colin Brennan (Braintree, Mass./Boston College HS) threw the final inning, striking out one in his collegiate debut.

First-year Nick Iadevaio (Mineola, N.Y./Mineola) contributed a pinch-hit RBI double for Lesley and senior Tyler Plourd (Canton, Conn./Canton) drew two walks and scored a run. Sophomore Matt O'Donnell (Somerville, Mass./Somerville) threw the opening 2.1 innings in the loss, while junior Koby Mitchell (Fall River, Mass./Bishop Connolly) and first-year Jeff Heinz (Portsmouth, N.H./Bridgton Academy) combined to allow just one run on two hits through the remainder of the game.

The Purple Knights saw nine of their 13 runs come through the opening two innings. After Lanzillo struck out the first three batters of the game, Saint Michael's responded in the bottom half of the inning with four runs on three hits. McGuirl led the charge with his one-out triple and, after two-out walks to Elderton and Bocchino, Jasak and Feeney delivered back-to-back two-run singles.

Starting with Auger's solo blast, the Purple and Gold had six straight batters reach base during a five-run second inning. Following Buteau's RBI single to score Dougherty, Elderton reached base on an error that loaded the bases for Bocchino, who laced a two-run double. Jasak then provided a sacrifice fly to bring home Elderton as Saint Michael's led 9-0 through two innings.

After seven of Lesley's first nine batters were retired, junior Gustavo Polidor (Caracas, Venezuela/IMG Academy) was stranded on base after doubling for the Lynx's first hit with one out in the top of the third. Saint Michael's pushed across three more runs on four hits in the third thanks to an RBI single by Dougherty, who later scored on a wild pitch, and Buteau, who knocked in McGuirl. Both teams then traded one run in the fourth after Iadevaio's RBI double and junior Alex Holt (Framingham, Mass./Marian) came around to score from first on a dropped fly ball, bringing Saint Michael's to a 13-1 lead.

The Purple Knights and Lynx then exchanged just one hit apiece for the final two innings, as Maily and Brennan combined to allow just three players to reach base.

Saint Michael's concludes its Spring Break trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Alfred State (N.Y.) College, beginning at 1 p.m. in Lake Wales, Fla.