SANFORD, Fla. – Santa Fe College Baseball started their second Mid-Florida Conference series of the season with a game at Seminole State College, and although the Saints nearly made a rally in the ninth inning, the Raiders held on for a 5-4 win on their home field.

Both starting pitchers made it through the first three innings unscathed, until SF opened the game's scoring with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Santiago Garavito led off with a double, then was driven in by a single from Billy Graham.

A solo home run from the Raiders off Mitchell Gross tied it at 1-1 in the home sides' next at-bats.

SF quickly regained a one-run lead with a tally in the fifth, when Xavier Moronta drove in Tyler Shelnut with a single.

A Raider long ball once again in the bottom half of the fifth evened the game up, this time at 2-2.

Seminole State College staked claim to their first lead of the game, 3-2, taking advantage of a Saints' error followed by an RBI double.

Gabriel Esquivel, one of the nation's leading home-run hitters, got into the action in the seventh to tie the game 3-3 with a solo shot, his ninth home run of the season.

Reliever Lance Bolton set the Raiders down in order in the seventh to post a zero, but Seminole State was able to manufacture two runs in the eighth to move in front 5-3. The Raiders took advantage of an SF error, a hit batter, and a two-out, two RBI single.

The Saints made it compelling in the top of the ninth. With Jevin Relaford on first base after a walk and two outs recorded, Esquivel singled to put runners on the corners. Moronta walked on four pitches in the next at-bat to load the bases for Garavito.

The catcher singled on a 1-0 pitch to bring Relaford in to score to make it 5-4, but pinch runner Jake McKee, representing the tying run, was thrown out at home in a play at the plate for the final out.

Key Statistics

The starter Gross made it through six innings with five hits, three runs (two earned), a walk, and five strikeouts. Bolton was charged with the loss on the mound for SF in relief, with two unearned runs allowed in the eighth. He allowed just one hit while striking out two.

The first three hitters in the SF lineup were walked twice.

Esquivel was productive in the three-hole, going 2-of-3 with two walks and the solo home run. Garavito joined him with two hits of his own, going 2-of-4 with an RBI, a double, and a walk. Moronta and Graham added RBI, as all four runs were driven in on seven Saints hits.

Up Next

Weather permitting, Santa Fe (13-11, 1-2 MFC) will host Seminole State College (13-10, 3-1 MFC) for the second game of the series on Saturday, Mar. 12 at 1:00 p.m.