AUBURNDALE, Fla. – No. 16 Santa Fe Baseball took care of both Northwest Florida and Eastern Florida on Saturday, improving to 3-0 with a 5-0 victory over the Raiders and a 12-4 result over the Titans.

GAME 1 – NO. 16 SANTA FE 5, NORTHWEST FLORIDA 0 (7 INN.)

The day's opener featured a pitching gem from Garfield Johns. Johns amassed six strikeouts in the game's first two innings and had his full arsenal working, before the offense provided him the support he needed.

An RBI single from Billy Graham put SF ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first, scoring Jevin Relaford.

The Florida Gator commit Tyler Shelnut crushed his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to score Hunter Keen in the third and put the Saints in front 3-0.

Santiago Garavito cleared the fence with a solo shot to lead off the bottom of the fourth, and the final run came from Relaford in the bottom of the fifth off an RBI from Xavier Moronta.

Johns finished six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out a whopping 12 Raiders. Wyatt Campbell got the final three outs striking out three.

It was the second consecutive 5-0 shutout for the Saints over the Raiders, dating back to last season's FCSAA State Tournament when Robb Adams tossed a no-hitter.

Offensively, all of the first five hitters in the lineup recorded hits. Shelnut had two RBI with his homer, while Moronta, Graham, and Garavito had RBI, with Garavito's also coming via the long ball.

GAME 2  - NO. 16 SANTA FE 12, EASTERN FLORIDA 4 (7 INN.)

Santa Fe's offense erupted for 12 runs in the day's finale, as the Saints got past the Titans.

SF fell behind 2-0 after the Titans had single runs in the first two innings. SF, however, cut their deficit in half in the top of the third with an RBI double from Wyatt Campbell.

The Saints took their first lead of the game and proceeded to break it open, putting up an eight-run spot in the fifth to go ahead 9-2. SF batted around in the frame, and at one stretch, had seven consecutive batters reach safely. Shelnut had another two-run homer, while among other highlights, Jacob Guthrie had an RBI double and Moronta followed him up with a two-RBI double of his own.

The teams traded runs, then SF went ahead 12-3 in the seventh with a two-run homer from Gabriel Esquivel.

Although the Titans manufactured a run in the bottom half of the seventh, an improbable comeback was not to be.

Nearly everyone in the lineup had a hit, as the Saints totaled 11 in the game. Shelnut and Esquivel's two-run homers were highlights.

The winning pitcher was Jacob Lauderdale, who relieved starter Lance Bolton. Jalen Hudson and Trent Becker also entered in relief in the win.

Up Next

No. 16 Santa Fe hosts Tallahassee on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 3:00 p.m.