PALATKA, Fla. – Santa Fe Softball made the quick trip to Palatka on Tuesday afternoon for a doubleheader with the St. Johns River State College Vikings. After SF took the opener by a 5-2 score, the hosts found a way to claim Game 2 7-6, as the two sides split for the second time this season.

GAME 1  - SF 5, SJR 2

The Saints' offense did enough to prevail in the opener. SF started the game with two runs in the first. The bases were loaded for Brianna Arsenault with two outs, and her fly ball to center field was misplayed for a Vikings' error that plated two.

SJR scored one off of a two-out RBI single in the bottom half, but the Saints responded with a bases loaded, RBI walk from Story Giebeig to take a 3-1 lead in the top of the second.

The Vikings did the same with an RBI walk to cut the lead down to 3-2, but starter Darian Ingram and the defense got themselves out of a few jams to keep the score remaining that way headed into the fifth.

In the top half, Morgan Lebeda had a solo homer to left field to bring the score to 4-2, and with one runner on later in the inning, Riley Schnyder tripled to right field for an RBI to make it 5-2.

Ingram stranded two baserunners in both the fifth and sixth, and the Saints were just three outs away from victory.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Vikings made a push. The first batter reached safely via a walk, and in the ensuing at-bat, Calen Hayes entered with a save opportunity. The next batter walked as well to bring the tying run to the plate, but Hayes got the final three outs and her first save of the season with a strikeout, fielder's choice, and 4-3 putout.

Key Statistics

Each team had six hits. Three of them for the Saints came off the bat of Schnyder, who had the triple, a run scored, and RBI. Giebeig had three walks, one of them an RBI, while Lebeda's home run was her sixth of the season.

Ingram had the decision in the circle, improving to 11-6. Although her final line included six hits, two earned runs, and ten walks, she did well to get out of any trouble and often used the strikeout to do so, finishing with nine.

Hayes' save came in the final three outs, and she had one K of her own.  

GAME 2  - SJR 7, SF 6

St. Johns River State took a 2-0 lead through the game's first two innings, scoring single runs in each frame. In the first, however, starter Sophie Abrams limited the damage by striking out the final two to come to the plate with the bases loaded.

Santa Fe proceeded to take the lead for the first time in the third. The first run scored by taking advantage of two SJR errors, and then Keeli Zingaro had an RBI double to bring across Schnyder. Later and with two outs, Abrianna Hickox's single scored Zingaro to make it 3-2.

The Vikings regained the lead, 4-3, with two runs in the third.

The advantage switched hands once again in the top of the fourth. Lebeda had another solo homer, her second of the DH, to tie it at 4-4. An RBI single from Schnyder made it 5-4, then Zingaro doubled to score her to give SF the two-run lead.

A solo long ball in the bottom of the fourth cut the Vikings' deficit in half, and another one in the fifth tied it at 6-6.

In the sixth, SJR had the first two hitters record singles, and Hayes entered in relief of Abrams. Hayes earned two outs, but a Vikings' single drove in the go-ahead run and put SF in need of at least one run in the seventh.

Although one hitter reached with a walk in the Saints' last at-bats, SJR picked up the final out to hold on to the win with a fly out to center field.

Key Statistics

Abrams took the loss from the circle, falling to 9-7 overall.

The Saints had nine hits, with Larkin, Schnyder, and Zingaro producing two from the 1-2-3 positions in the order, respectively. Zingaro had two doubles and two RBI, and Lebeda cleared the fence for the seventh time in 2022.  

Up Next

Santa Fe (26-16, 8-6 MFC) heads to Lake-Sumter State College on Thursday, Apr. 7, with the DH beginning at 2:00 p.m.