GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Santa Fe Baseball's current slide extended to five games on Friday afternoon, as the Saints fell to visiting Seminole State by a 13-8 score.

The wind was blowing out in this one, and the two teams combined for 30 hits and the 21 runs.

The Raiders were the team able to take advantage of two big innings to establish a sizeable lead.

Each team scored a run in the first, with Tyler Shelnut hitting a triple then touching home on an RBI from Xavier Moronta.

Seminole State took control in the fourth, however, scoring five runs and getting into the SF bullpen early. The Raiders batted around, had the first four batters record hits, and notched five hits total in the frame.

The lead grew to 10-1 with four more runs in the fifth, as Seminole State once again had a five-hit inning, which included a two-run home run.

Shelnut and Moronta were the catalysts once again for SF in the home half of the fifth. Shelnut led off with a double, then Moronta drove him in for the second time, on this occasion with a double. After a Santiago Garavito walk, the bases were loaded with no outs to give the Saints an opportunity to make a dent in the deficit.

Three consecutive strikeouts, however, abruptly ended the threat and kept the Raider's lead at 10-2.

The SF offense was productive in the final four innings and reliever Gavin Book posted a few zeros, but the hole SF found themselves in proved to be insurmountable, despite a two-RBI home run from Gabriel Esquivel in the sixth and an RBI triple from Moronta in the eighth, amongst other key plays.

Trailing 13-8 in the ninth, the Saints came up empty with a bases loaded, one out opportunity, as two flyouts from the heart of the order concluded the ball game.

Key Statistics

The Saints allowed double-digit runs for the third consecutive game and weren't able to score enough runs to catch up after the Raiders' big innings in the fourth and fifth.

Both Shelnut and Moronta were just a home run shy of the cycle in their three-hit days. Moronta had three RBI, and Esquivel led the team with four RBI with two walks and his FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII leading 15th home run of the season. SF finished with 11 hits, ten walks, and seven RBI on their way to eight runs.

Garfield Johns (4-3) suffered the loss from the mound, while Jacob Lauderdale (1.0 IP) and Book (4.1 IP) came out of the bullpen.

Up Next

Santa Fe (21-19, 9-10 MFC) will hope to bounce back to even the series in Game 2, which will take place in Sanford, Fla. on Saturday, Apr. 9 at 1:00 p.m.