
Sante Fe Prevails Against State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota 10-9
Bradenton, FL- On Friday, the Santa Fe baseball team traveled down to Bradenton to face the State College of Florida Manatees for the first of a three-game series. In a high-scoring affair that included 24 hits, the Saints prevailed to win the first contest 10-9.
How It Happened
The Saints used a three-pitcher rotation of Colby Rice, Matthew Jenkins, and Nick Davidson. They recorded a total of nine strikeouts. The Manatees' pitching combo of Brandon Clarke and Daniel Hartley recorded 19 strikeouts and two walks.
AJ Barrios led the Saints offensively, going 2-for-4 at the plate with one home run and two RBIs. Other offensive standouts for the Saints included BJ Graham, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with one RBI, and Grant Gallagher, who added a home run.
Left fielder Allen Gil-Fernandez led the Manatees at the plate with three hits on six plate appearances. Erick Almonte and Mario Trivella both went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Santa Fe started out fast by scoring five runs in the first three innings. In the top of the second inning, AJ Barrios singled on a line drive to left field. Wyatt Campbell hit a single to left field. BJ Graham followed up with an RBI single to score the first run for the Saints. AJ Barrios hit a home run in the third inning to put the Saints up 5-0.
The Manatees had their biggest inning in the fifth, scoring a total of six runs. Allen Gil-Fernandez hit a two-run homer to score Pip Smalley. Mario Trivella hit an RBI single on a hard ground ball to left field to score Santiago Ordonez and cut the Saints' lead to 5-4. Erick Almonte hit a two-run RBI double to score Mario Trivella and Luke Boykin to give the Manatees their first lead of the game 6-5. Later in the inning, the Manatees scored another run on a passed ball to increase their lead to 7-5.
In the sixth inning, Walker Vanacek hit a solo home run to increase the Manatees lead to 8-5. Grant Gallagher homered in the top of the seventh to cut into the Manatees' lead 8-6.
After tying up the score 8-8, the Saints regained the lead 10-8 after a two-run RBI single by Cory Filley. Santa Fe held on to take the win against the Manatees 10-9.
Up Next
On Sunday, April 14th, the Saints will continue their series against the Manatees at home at Harry Tholen Field. The first pitch is scheduled for 12PM and 2PM EDT.