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By Regan Roberts and Izzy McGarvey
On Friday, the No. 5 Santa Fe Saints played No. 1 College of Central Florida Patriots, the second in a three-game series. The Saints took the first game with a score of 4-0 on Wednesday. Friday also ended with a Saints win with the final score of 6-5 in ten innings to take first place in the Mid-Florida Conference.
Jahlani Rogers called game!
No. 5 SF Baseball walks it off at home with No. 1 College of Central Florida, and the Saints are in sole possession of first place in the Mid-Florida Conference after taking the first two in the series with the Patriots. What a game! #SicEmSaints pic.twitter.com/JsGEdlcwZP
— Santa Fe Saints (@santafesaints) March 24, 2023
A Back-and-forth Battle
This battle between the two top-five teams looked like it could go either way for the entirety of the game.
The Patriots struck first in the first inning with two runs, starting off 2-0 early. Both teams were quiet until the fifth inning when the Saints put their first points on the board. A single by Drake Harman gave the Saints’ offense momentum. Then, Grant Gallagher hit a single to follow.
Jacob Guthrie’s RBI single allowed Harman to score and the Saints to get their first run, bringing the score to 2-1. Corey Filley tied the game at two with an RBI single. The Saints weren’t done yet as Jahlani Rogers hit a 2-run RBI triple which led the Saints to take the 4-2 lead.
The Saints maintained their lead with their defensive efforts. Pitcher Corey Braun struck out three consecutive batters in the seventh inning for a quick 1-2-3 inning. But, the Patriots were able to get on the board in the eighth inning when Cole Bullen hit a 2 RBI single to once again tie the score, 4-4.
The Saints answered in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI double from JP Herrholz, taking the lead once again at 5-4. The Patriots quickly responded in the ninth with an RBI single from Kareh Valentin to tie the game, 5-5. However, the Saints failed to produce in the bottom of the ninth and brought the game to extra innings.
Rogers Comes In Clutch
After an unproductive top of the tenth for the Patriots, Santa Fe went up to bat. Josh Hogue was hit by a pitch to start the inning off. Then, Jahlani Rogers stepped up to the plate with the winning run on base and produced the game-winning walk-off RBI single.
A closer look at the Rogers triple that started the celebration for the Saints! pic.twitter.com/so9Q8fEunG
— Santa Fe Saints (@santafesaints) March 24, 2023
The Saints won in extra innings, 6-5. The Saints’ record is now 31-1 (7-1 in conference play) and are on a five-game winning streak.
Looking Ahead
The Saints and Patriots’ final game of the series was suspended at the end of the fourth inning and will resume on April 14th. The Saints will continue conference play with a three-game series against Seminole State starting on Wednesday.
You can find their season schedule here.
