Gainesville, FL – The Hillsborough Hawks (1-0) rallied late against the NJCAA #8 Santa Fe Saints (0-1) to earn a 5-3 win over the defending FCSAA State Champions.
Kyle Morton was solid on the mound in his first opening day start, tossing hitless ball through the first four innings. Hillsborough broke through in the fifth, scoring two runs for a 2-0 lead. SF answered back immediately, plating three in the top of the fifth, paced by a two-run double from freshman shortstop Brandon Hernandez.
The Hawks tied the game up in the seventh off reliever Chris Hopkins (0-1) and took the lead in the eighth with two more runs. The Saints went in order in the ninth.
“Morton was fantastic today,” said SF Coach Johnny Wiggs. “We struggled on offense and need to reduce our strikeouts and put more pressure on the defense. We have three more games this weekend, so we will really get a chance to see what our guys are made of.”
The Saints will play their home opener Saturday, Jan. 28 at noon in double header action against South Georgia State College, and host Indian River State College Sunday at 1 p.m.
For complete schedules, stats and more information please visit www.santafesaints.com.