LAKELAND, Fla. --- John McGuire's three-run first-inning home run sparked the University of St. Francis baseball team to an early 4-0 lead against NAIA No. 1-ranked Southeastern University (Fla.), but the undefeated hosts had too much firepower in the end, scoring an 18-8 victory on Friday to wrap up the Fighting Saints' trip.

McGuire's home run came just after Josh Kirnbauer drove in Nate Maliska (hit by pitch) with a single as four of the first five batters of the game reached for USF. 

Gary Lora (4-for-5, 4 RBIs) enabled the Fire (25-0) to get back into the contest with his matching three-run home run to tie the game in the fifth inning, two innings after Isaac Nunez got Southeastern on the board with a two-run home run.

Unfazed, the Saints (5-15) used their same recipe for success as the first inning by getting four of the first five batters on base in the sixth inning.  That netted USF three more runs and an 8-5 lead on a two-run single from Luke Ketchum and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Maliska.

The rest of the afternoon belonged to Southeastern with the Fire going up 10-8 with a five-run sixth inning followed by an eight-run seventh inning.

Alex Martinez had two hits for USF.

Notes: Maliska tied the team's longest hitting streak of the season (seven games) with his fifth-inning double … Eric Maffie and Kirnbauer also extended their streaks to six games on Friday … Six of USF's seven games played on the trip came against ranked foes with five being in the top 10 and the other one sitting at No. 14 ... The Saints open up Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Tuesday at Saint Xavier University with a 1 pm doubleheader.   

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