May 8, 2017

Gainesville, FL – For the second time in three days Santa Fe pitching stifled Northwest Florida State College bats.  This time it was Sean Gabel who held the Raiders to just four hits in a complete game effort.  He struck out six and didn't allow a run after the first inning.

"Gabel was outstanding, pounding the strikezone with his fastball," said SF Coach Johnny Wiggs.  "His effort kept our bullpen fresh and we have plenty of options tomorrow."

The first two batters of the game reached for NWF on a triple and then a double.  From there, it was all Gabel.  He didn't allow another hit until the eighth inning and kept the Raiders hitters off balance the entire way.

In the fifth the SF offense finally got on the board, plating a pair of runs to go ahead 2-1 on a Stephen Smith RBI and a wild pitch.  They added a run on an Alex Goebel RBI single in the seventh.

Stephen Smith busted the game open in the ninth, blasting a deep three run homerun to right.  Two batters later Dillon Reed tripled to left center and scored when the cutoff throw was bobbled.

Sean Gabel finished what he started, closing out the game in the ninth.

"We didn't swing the bat real well early on but had some big hits late, especially the homerun by Steven Smith", said Wiggs.

Through three games, Santa Fe pitchers have thrown 28.1 innings, striking otu 26 with just four walks and a 1.59 ERA.

The Saints (38-12) are now one of four teams left and will play the winner of the Chipola College/Palm Beach State College game on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.

"We are excited to still be here competing and look forward to another opportunity tomorrow," Wiggs said.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament on the FCSAA YouTube Channel.

For complete schedules, stats, and more information please visit www.santafesaints.com. 

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