Kyle Morton gave Santa Fe another quality start on the mound, the bullpen did their job when called upon, and the offense came through with key hits throughout the game to lead the FCSAA #3/Perfect Game #21 Saints to a 4-3 victory over Mid-Florida Conference rivals the College of Central Florida on Saturday in Gainesville. The win is the thirteenth in a row for SF, and moves them to 21-3 overall and 3-0 in MFC play.
Santa Fe grabbed ahold of an early 1-0 lead in the second, plating a run on a double play ball to take the lead. CF answered in the top of the third with two runs, but the Saints bounced right back with two of their own to go ahead 3-2 in the bottom half of the third.
Central Florida tied the game in the sixth after a costly throwing error by the Saints. In the bottom of the seventh, Santa Fe plated the winning run on am infield hit by Robbie Hanlon to take the one run lead. Santa Fe relievers Anthony Auletta and Chris Hopkins handled business from there, shutting the Patriots down over the final two innings to secure the win. Hopkins earned his first save of the season, and Auletta picked up his first win (1-0).
SF catcher Matt Allen was stellar behind the plate, cutting down five CF runners. Three came on steal attempts and the other two he caught straying too far off second base.
Hugo Valdes finished 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and a RBI, his second straight three-hit day. Brandon Hernandez was 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Next up for the Saints is another Mid-Florida Conference home game on Monday, March 7 at 3 p.m. against Lake Sumter State College.