The Santa Fe Saints (19-17, 7-6 MFC) came into their double header with Daytona State College needing a two game sweep, and with the help of some stellar pitching, solid defense, and timely hits, they earned their two wins, jumping from fifth to third in the Mid-Florida Conference standings in the process.
In the first game SF fell behind 1-0 after a first inning Daytona State College run, and tied the game up on a Ki Vega two out RBI single in the fifth. Maddy Peres was in the circle for the Saints and shut down the Falcons offense, holding the score at 1-1 to set up the late game heroics. In the bottom of the eighth, Vega started the game winning rally with a double to the fence and Evelyn Arguelles walked behind her. Torri Bethel attempted to sacrifice the runners to second and third, but a smooth defensive play from the Daytona third baseman cut down Vega trying to go from second to third.
Chelsea Malcom made that all a moot point when she blasted a three run homerun to the opposite field in left to walk off with the 4-1 victory.
Vega finished the game 3-for-4 with a RBI, and Chelsea Malcolm was 2-for-4 with a homerun and three RBI.
Game two started much like game one with Daytona getting on the board first, scoring a single run in the second inning off SF starter Jessica Castiglione. Like Peres in the game before her, Castiglione settled in and blanked the Falcons (17-18, 6-8 MFC) the rest of the way.
In the bottom of the second the Saints tied the score on an infield single from Keysha Gordon. Four innings later, in the bottom of the sixth, Sarah Ortiz reached on a walk and Torri Bethel followed her with a sacrifice bunt. On the bunt, Ortiz advanced to second, saw no one covering third and sprinted for the open bag. The Falcons attempted to make a play at third, and in the process threw the ball away, allowing Ortiz to score the eventual winning run. Castiglione finished the complete game victory with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
Despite just three hits, the SF offense did what it needed to do to get the win. Ortiz was 0-1 with two runs scored and two walks. Beri Scott, Keysha Gordon, and Chelsea Malcolm had one hit apiece.
The Saints will try and keep the momentum rolling when the travel to NJCAA #1 College of Central Florida on Thursday, April 2 for a double header at 2:30 PM. Prior to the double header, the two teams will finish a game from March 17 that was halted due to darkness. The Saints trail 4-2 in the top of the seventh.
