DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Santa Fe baseball's bats continued to cause Daytona State problems on Wednesday afternoon, as the Saints won the second game of the Mid-Florida Conference series and extended their winning streak to six games.

After winning 10-1 in a run-ruled series opener on Monday, March 8, the Saints got past the Falcons once again, benefitting from an early lead.

Santa Fe scored two runs in the opening inning, after Luis Rodriguez crushed his second home run of the season to score himself and Nick Herndon.

Four more runs were brought across in the second inning, as the Saints seized a 6-0 lead. Xavier Moronta smacked a two-run homer, his first of the season, then Rodriguez struck again with a two-out, two-RBI double.

The Falcons cut their deficit in half in the third inning with three unearned runs off starter Brooks Walton, then came all the way back to tie it at 6-6 with three more runs in the seventh.

It was a whole new ball game headed into the eighth, and Santa Fe turned the tide and took control with two runs on a Tyler Shelnut two-RBI single to plate Moronta and Armando Albert.

Rodriguez belted his second home run of the game in the ninth to make it 9-6.

Shelnut earned his third save in the last four games from the mound, and sixth of the season after holding the Falcons scoreless in the ninth.

Key Statistics

Six different players had hits, as the Saints finished with 11 total. Rodriguez's big day included three hits in four at-bats, with a double, the two homers, and five RBI.

Moronta and Shelnut each had two RBI, with Moronta clearing the fence. Albert and Herndon each had two hits and two runs scored.

Walton was the starter on the mound for the Saints, and he struck out six in 2.2 innings pitched. Garfield Johns was the first out of the bullpen, throwing 3.1 innings with five strikeouts, two hits, and three runs (one earned).

Carson Pillsbury was the winning pitcher, going 1.2 innings without allowing a hit before giving way to Shelnut for the save. Shelnut got the final four outs, conceding just one walk while adding a K.

Up Next

Santa Fe (13-7, 3-0 MFC) is home on Friday, March 12 against St. Johns River State College. First pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m.