Holding a narrow 5-3 edge through the first 15 minutes of play, the nationally 15th-ranked Limestone University men's lacrosse team used a commanding 10-0 stretch over the next three periods to run its win streak to three straight with a 16-5 decision over Tusculum University on Saturday. GAME INFORMATION Score: No. 15 Limestone 16, Tusculum 5 Records: No. 15 Limestone (5-2, 4-2), Tusculum (4-3, 1-3) Location: Saints Field INSIDE THE BOXSCORE Senior Christopher Parrott (Havre de Grace, Md.) went 20-of-22 from the "X" with 11 groundballs Freshman attack Frank Smith (Bayville, N.Y.) tallied four goals and two assists for six points Junior attack Owen Consoletti (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) added a hat trick for the Saints Freshman midfielder Chris Erneston IV (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) finished with five points Sophomore attack Jackson Braswell (Greenville, S.C.) logged a pair of scores and an assist Sophomore Ethan Stannard (Caledon, Ontario) chipped in a goal, two caused turnovers, and five groundballs while freshman Tim Ladner (Sandwich, Mass.) also recorded two caused turnovers Graduate keeper William Baxter (Manchester, England) finished with seven saves to get the win Limestone dominated with a 53-18 margin in shots attempted and a 47-26 edge in groundballs The Saints limited the Pioneers to a 16-of-26 clip in clear attempts while forcing 23 turnovers The Blue and Gold held Tusculum scoreless for 45 minutes of game time HOW IT HAPPENED First Quarter Limestone did not need long to crack the scoreboard as Smith put the home team up 1-0 just 36 seconds into the game. Erneston assisted on the game's first goal and then found the back of the net for the Blue and Gold's second score, but Tusculum answered on the other end to cut the lead to 2-1 with 11:23 left. The Saints responded though with back-to-back goals from Consoletti – his 20th score of the season – and freshman Jason Thomfohrde (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), pushing the margin to three. However, the Pioneers would tally two of the next three goals over the final 7:26 of the quarter to close the gap to 5-3. Second Quarter Still holding on to a 2-goal advantage midway through the second quarter, Limestone doubled up Tusculum, 6-3, as Consoletti completed his hat trick, finishing off a feed from Braswell for a man-up goal. Erneston then tacked on an extra-man score a few ticks later before assisting on consecutive tallies from Braswell and Smith in the closing minutes of the period, staking Limestone to a 9-3 cushion at the break. Third Quarter Early in the third, junior defender Steve Werner (Dallastown, Pa.) led the break and found Smith in transition before junior Trent Kellner (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) and senior Mike Carpenter (Queensbury, N.Y.) both split the cage, putting the game out of reach, 12-3, with 6:52 left in the stanza. The Blue and Gold continued to add to its lead late in the quarter as Smith took it himself for an unassisted goal before sophomore Jason Madden (Walnut Creek, Calif.) made it 14-3 at the end of three. Fourth Quarter Smith dished out an assist to Stannard less than a minute into the fourth quarter as the Saints widen the distance to 15-3. With time winding down in regulation, Tusculum snapped a 45-minute scoring drought with 3:22 left on the clock and then added another in the final minute, but Limestone had more than enough in reserve for the 16-5 decision. Braswell scored the final goal of the day for the Blue and Gold. TURNING POINT Clinging to a 5-3 lead at the end of one, the Saints dominated the middle quarters to pull away from the visiting Pioneers. Limestone made it tough on Tusculum in the transition game, allowing just six clears on 11 attempts in the second and third periods while forcing the visitors into 11 turnovers during that stretch. NOTABLES The Saints have won their last three games by double-digit margins, outscoring opponents 57-15 Limestone turned the ball over 20 times for the sixth time this season However, the Blue and Gold forced a season-high 12 turnovers on defense The Saints are a combined 69-of-82 (84%) at the center "X" over the last three games Limestone improves to 6-0 all-time against the Pioneers with its first conference win of the series UP NEXT Limestone closes out its three-game home stand when it hosts Newberry College on Saturday, March 27 at 3 p.m. at Saints Field. It will be the first ever meeting between the Saints and Wolves in lacrosse.