St. Augustine – The 16th-ranked (Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Division II Top 30) Flagler College baseball team rallied behind a solid pitching performance from Michael Maiocco to finish off a weekend sweep of No. 6 UNC Pembroke with a 3-2 win over the Braves on Sunday afternoon at Drysdale Field.

The result makes the second time this season that the Saints have swept a top-10 opponent. With the win Flagler improves to 17-2 overall, the best start since the 2001 season. The Saints also moved to 10-1 in the Peach Belt Conference, which is currently the best in the league. The Braves drop to 14-5 overall, and 4-5 in conference action with the set back.

Bryce Evans highlighted the Saints offence with a 2-for-3 outing and two RBI. Flagler also got a two-hit day from Kolin McMillen and Igor Baez.

Dalton Knight registered two of the Braves four hits of the day, with Drew Cole and Zade Denton each finishing with one hit apiece.

Maiocco (4-0) struck out 10 Braves batters and gave up just three hits through 6.1 innings, while Michael Hanke came in during the sixth inning to close out the game for the Saints, earning his fourth save of the season. UNCP split its work between the starter Connor Pratt (2-1) and Alex Britt, with Pratt earning his first loss of the season. 

The Saints pushed the first run of the day across in the bottom of the first as Nick Oberg crossed the plate on a double steal situation with Lorenzo Butler. Flagler added another run in the next inning after Baez led off with a single and scored on a single from Evans.

In the top of the third the Braves were able to even the score scoring two runs on hits from Cole and Denton, but Evans singled in the fourth to score Frankie Sagarese to give the Saints the edge they needed to complete the three-game sweep.

Flagler will return to action on Tuesday when the Saints take the quick trip up I-95 to Jacksonville for a 3 p.m. midweek contest against Trinity Baptist.