Baseball Wins Ninth Straight with Comeback at Seminole State

Baseball Wins Ninth Straight with Comeback at Seminole State
March 29, 2021
SANFORD, Fla. – Santa Fe baseball trailed by a 7-1 score after four innings of play at Seminole State College on Monday afternoon, but the bats came alive and the Saints prevailed over the Raiders in a slugfest, 16-11. 
 
The Saints produced runs in the last five innings of the game, and crushed five home runs when all was said and done to win their ninth straight game and 16th out of their last 17.  
 
Santa Fe plated five runs in the top of the fifth to turn a six-run margin into a single-run, 7-6 deficit. Jonathan Logsdon started it off with a one-out home run, and after Dylan Mock and Tyler Shelnut reached, Gabriel Esquivel cleared the bases with a home run of his own to make it 7-5. Nick Herndon's RBI single accounted for the final run in the frame.
 
The Raiders scored one run in the next at-bats, but Santa Fe brought across four runs in the sixth to go ahead 10-8. Shelnut had a three-run shot to score Logsdon and Mock, and Esquivel scored on a wild pitch.
 
Luis Rodriguez's solo home run led off the seventh to put SF up 11-8, and Seminole State countered with a two-run blast to draw within one, 11-10. 
 
Logsdon's second home run of the game came in the eighth, providing some insurance with two-runs touching home to hand the Saints a 13-10 lead. 
 
The Raiders scored what would prove to be their final run of the game in the eighth, but the SF bats continued to pour it on with three-more insurance runs in the ninth. The Saints took a 16-11 lead after a two-RBI double from Xavier Moronta, who came around to score later on a bases loaded hit by pitch from Logsdon. 
 
Garfield Johns and the defense did the rest in the ninth, keeping the Raiders from getting back into it. 
 
Key Statistics
Eduardo Yepes was the credited with the win on the mound and Garfield Johns had the save. Yepes threw two innings and allowed two runs, while Johns tossed 2.1 innings and conceded just two hits and one earned run. 
 
The offensive display was impressive, tallying 15 hits and the five home runs from Logsdon (2), Rodriguez, Shelnut, and Esquivel. 
 
Shelnut led the way with three hits, two walks, three RBI, and three runs scored. Logsdon went 2-of-4 with the two homers, a walk, four RBI, and three runs scored. 
 
Patience also paid off at the plate, as the Saints tied a season-high with nine free-passes. 
 
Wiggs' Words
"That was a heck of a battle and a great comeback after being down 7-1," said Head Coach Johnny Wiggs. "Our hitters continued to fight and had great at-bats. We also got some big outs out of the bullpen, especially from Garfield Johns over the last 2.1 innings. It was definitely another big win on the road." 
 
Up Next
Santa Fe (23-8, 12-1 MFC) continued to receive votes in the latest NJCAA Division I Coaches' Poll, and will now turn around to host the Raiders on Wednesday, March 31 at 3:00 p.m.