Seven Straight for SF Baseball after 4-3 Win over St. Johns River

Seven Straight for SF Baseball after 4-3 Win over St. Johns River
March 12, 2021
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Santa Fe baseball extended their winning streak to seven games, pulling out a 4-3 victory at the SF Baseball Field over St. Johns River State College. 
 
The Vikings jumped ahead and established a 3-0 lead, hitting two home runs in the second inning off Saints' starter Mitchell Gross.
 
Xavier Moronta led off for Santa Fe in the bottom of the second frame and launched a solo shot to bring the score to 3-1. 
 
Gross settled in on the mound for the Saints, and the 3-1 SJR lead remained all the way until the botttom of the fifth. Santa Fe rallied with two outs, beginning with a walk from Luis Rodriguez. 
 
Moronta followed with an RBI double, and Gabriel Esquivel's single in the next at-bat scored him to knot the contest at 3-3.
 
The Saints took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh, once again on an RBI from Moronta. His single brought across Tyler Shelnut for what would prove to be the winning run.
 
Eduardo Yepes was excellent from the mound in the seventh and eighth innings to keep the Vikings off the scoreboard, and Shelnut stranded a runner 90 feet from home plate by inducing a ground out and covering first base for the final out. 
 
Key Statistics
Each team had eight hits. Moronta's big day at the dish included a 3-of-4 performance with the home run, a double, three RBI, and two runs scored. The outfielder was a triple shy of the cycle, and he has now homered in consecutive games for his two long balls this season. Nick Herndon had a multi-hit game from the leadoff spot with two singles. 
 
The starting pitcher Gross struck out a career-high ten batters, allowing just the three earned Vikings runs in six innings pitched. 
 
The win on the mound went to Yepes, his second win of the season. He conceded just one walk in two innings pitched. Shelnut picked up his seventh save of the season, which leads the NJCAA Division I.
 
Wiggs' Words
"After giving up the three-runs in the second inning, Gross did a great job of throwing up four more scoreless innings to give us a chance. We had great at-bats all game and came up big later in the game. I am really proud of our effort and energy we brought to the field today."
 
Up Next
Santa Fe (14-7, 4-0 MFC) will play tomorrow at St. Johns River, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.