Saints Struggle Against Central Florida
Game 1
First Inning
Mallory Forrester started on the mound today for Santa Fe. It was a quick first inning for both teams as the Saints defense allowed just one hit and the Patriots allowed zero. The score was 0-0 after the first.
Second Inning
The Patriots held their defensive stand in the second and went one, two, three to get the Saints back into the field. It was a big inning for Central Florida. Hailey Scott hit a solo home run to open scoring for the game. Madison Vanallen hit a double and then after a strikeout, Bailey Homes walked. Avery Lawson bunted and reached on an error, which allowed Vanallen to score and put the Patriots up two. After another strikeout, Holmes and Lawson scored on wild pitches. The score was 4-0 after the second.
Third Inning
The top of the third inning gave the Saints their first run after a single on a fielder's choice by Jayla Clark, a double by Ariana Wright, and a single by Juliann Smith, which brought in Clark. It was the Saints' turn to have lockdown defense as after Scott reached on an error, they had three consecutive outs. The score was 4-1 after the third.
Fourth Inning
The Saints hoped to carry their momentum from the third inning after gaining their first run and started with a baserunner as Karris Rhine made it to first. However, there was a groundout and a pop-up after that to end the inning with no runs. The bottom of the fourth was a quick one as well, as the Saints defense fielded two groundouts and a line drive. The score at the end of the fourth was 4-1.
Fifth Inning
The fifth inning saw more scoring. Sydney Fowler singled to start the inning and got around the bases by a Clark bunt and Wright double. The Saints could not convert anything after that as they had three pop outs in a row. In the bottom of the fifth, Central Florida matched Santa Fe's one run when Caitlin Blakenship singled and got hit in by Hailey Scott's RBI double. The end of the fifth had a score of 5-2.
Sixth Inning
The top of the sixth went fast as the Saints went out one, two, three. In the bottom, the Patriots extended their lead. Bailey Holmes led off with a single. Avery Lawson reached on an error. Madi Wichihowski struck out, which brought Megan Loftis to the plate. Loftis walked, which gave the Patriots bases loaded. Holmes scored on a passed ball, but no one else was able to convert. The score was 6-2 after six.
Seventh Inning
After Fowler walked, the Patriots entered a new pitcher, Haley Guffey. She shut down the Saints to end the game 6-2.
Game 2
First Inning
Game 2 of this doubleheader started with the same pitcher for Central Florida, Hayley Guffey. Santa Fe starting strong with three singles in a row, one being thrown out at second on a fielder's choice. They were unable to capitalize and left two runners on base. The Patriots did not have the same problem, as they scored six runs in the bottom of the first. Ryleigh Bauer started on the mound for Santa Fe. The Patriots had six hits in the first inning, leaving the first inning 6-0.
Second Inning
The second inning did not seem to go the Saints' way either. They again started with two singles, but then recorded two strikeouts and a fielder's choice to gain no runs. They could not get the stop they needed on defense either. They recorded two errors and two runs before switching pitchers. Peyton Bass came in for Bauer and allowed no more runs to score. The score after two was 8-0.
Third inning
Santa Fe could not get their offense going as they grounded out twice and struck out to stay scoreless in the third. Central Florida continued their dominant offensive performance in the third. A pair of singles and a two-run homer by Madison Vanallen were some of the highs for the Patriots as they boosted their score to 11. The score at the end of the inning was 11-0.
Fourth Inning
Guffey and the Patriots defense kept the clean slate as they fielded a groundout, pop-out, and strikeout in the top of the fourth. Santa Fe's defense put up their first zero as they held Patriots to their 11 runs from the previous inning. The score after four was 11-0.
Fifth Inning
It was a run rule finish as the Saints could not find any offensive groove this game. They did not get a hit in the fifth inning, which allowed for Central Florida to not play the bottom of the inning. The final score of Game 2 was 11-0.
Up Next
The Saints will play Saturday, April 13th in a doubleheader against Florida Southwestern State College. Game 1 starts at 12:00PM EDT with Game 2 to follow.