DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The fifth-seeded Siena Heights baseball team scored five unanswered runs to earn an elimination-game victory over four-seed Southern Polytechnic State (Ga.), 8-4, in an NAIA Tournament Opening Round game at Embry-Riddle's Sliwa Stadium.

Josh White (Brooklyn, Mich./Columbia Central) and Dan Abbott (Plymouth, Mich./Lutheran Westland) had two hits apiece while Brett Howard (Sylvania, Ohio/Saint Francis de Sales) doubled in support of winning pitcher Jake Sperry(Livonia, Mich./Westland John Glenn).

Sperry worked eight innings, allowing four runs on 11 hits while recording two strikeouts and no walks. Jake Kret(Wyandotte, Mich./Roosevelt) inherited one runner from Sperry in the ninth and finished out the contest.

The Saints trailed on three different occasions, but found ways to answer with game-tying runs.

Southern Poly took the lead in the first on a solo homer by Jon White before Abbott smacked a run-scoring single in the SHU second.

The Hornets had a two-run inning in their second, getting a sacrifice fly from Jeremy Boyd and an RBI single from Brandon Roberts to go up 3-1. SHU once again had an answer -- getting its second score on a sac fly by Corey Lehman (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic) and its third on an SPSU error.

Southern Poly took its final lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Jon White. Once again, the Saints responded -- or took advantage of a Hornet error, rather -- to tie the score at 4-all in the sixth.

From there, SHU took command, taking the lead on an RBI groundout by Mike Lollo (Allen Park, Mich./Cabrini).

Southern Poly threatened to tie the contest -- and more -- in its seventh, but a pair of Siena Heights defensive plays prevented a rally.

A double by Devin Thaut put Hornet runners on second and third, however, a positive for SHU emerged from the play when right-fielder Marcus Stewart (Clinton, Mich./Clinton) hurried the ball back to the infield. The next SPSU batter sent a chopper to Howard at third base; Howard then tagged out the runner on third and threw across for an inning-ending double play.

In the eighth, Robbie Schwartz (Adrian, Mich./Adrian) had an RBI single and Stewart had an RBI groundout, putting SHU's lead to 7-4. Josh White tacked on a run-scoring single in the ninth to round out the scoring.

Teigh Dooley was the losing pitcher for Southern Poly. Roberts, Jon White and Charlie Boring finished with two hits apiece.

The Saints (33-24) will return to action on Saturday with a 2 p.m. elimination contest against two-seed Auburn Montgomery, which fell to top-seed Embry-Riddle, 2-0, on Friday.

SPSU had reached its game with SHU by defeating Biola (Calif.), 9-8, Friday morning.