GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Santa Fe College baseball couldn't overcome an early deficit on Tuesday afternoon against visiting Hillsborough Community College, and the Saints eventually suffered a 12-6 defeat to the Hawks.

It was a rematch of the Saints' 2021 season-opener, which also went in favor of the Hawks, 11-4, on Jan. 22.

Santa Fe fell behind 6-0 in the opening inning, with the Hillsborough bats coming out swinging. The Saints were also hurt by a couple of free-passes and errors that kept the Hawks' inning alive.

Hillsborough had another big inning later in the contest, tacking on six more runs in the sixth frame to gain the healthy advantage. 

The offense for the Saints brought one run across in the second inning, four more in the eighth, and a solo shot from Tyler Shelnut in the ninth. SF, however, was unable to string together the runs needed to mount a big comeback.

The Saints record dropped to .500 in the defeat, with seven wins and seven losses so far in 2021.

The Saints had five different players show up in the pitching box score, with Garfield Johns making his first appearance with a scoreless eighth inning and just one hit allowed.

Austin Akey went 3-of-4 from the plate with a walk, run scored, and RBI. Luis Rodriguez was 2-of-3 with two RBI, a run scored, and two walks, while Shelnut had a big day with a 2-of-4 performance, including three runs scored, a double, and his second home run of the season.

Up Next

Santa Fe has a quick turnaround on the home field, and will host Polk State College on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 3:00 p.m.