Gainesville, FL - On Saturday, the Saints hosted Miami Dade College in a Citrus Conference doubleheader matchup. After beating the Sharks twice on Thursday, Santa Fe entered Saturday's match up in fourth place in the conference having solidified their place in the FCSAA Tournament, while Miami Dade remained in seventh place heading into the doubleheader matchup.  

This was the second matchup of the season between the two teams. The Saints pitched a shutout in Game 1, winning convincingly 8-0. Game 2 resulted in a heartbreaking loss for the Saints, losing 8-6 in extra innings.  The Saints record moves to 30-14 in the Citrus Conference and 39-20 overall.  They finish in fourth place in the conference and have earned a spot at the FCSAA Tournament in Clearwater, Florida.

How It Happened – Game 1

Mallory Forrester showed up big time for the Saints, throwing a perfect game with four strikeouts through five innings. Madi Conway had three hits and four RBIs and finished Game 1 with an RBI single to bring home Sydney Fowler, giving the Saints the run rule victory in five innings.

The Saints managed eight hits on twenty-five at bats and collected five RBIs. Fowler reached base four times in the game, going 2/2 with two walks and scoring a total of three times. Juliann Smith and Aliana Mercado each recorded an RBI as well. 

The Saints finished Game 1 with an 8-0 win, giving Forrester her fifteenth win on the year. 

How It Happened – Game 2

Santa Fe started Game 2 playing as well as they were in Game 1, leading 2-1 at the end of the first inning. The Sharks would hit five home runs off the Saints pitchers and garner a 6-2 lead after four innings. The Saints refused to quit and came back, pushing the game to extra innings after Sydney Fowler had two RBIs in the bottom of the seventh. However, Miami Dade jumped back up in the top of the eighth, scoring two runs leading to a final result of 8-6 in favor of Miami Dade.

The Saints finished the day 1-1, and the doubleheader marks the end of the regular season for the Saints. The Saints are now 39-20 overall going 21-14 in conference play and in fourth place in the Citrus Conference. The Saints have officially qualified for the FCSAA Tournament in Clearwater, Florida. This will be their first appearance in three years, and they will await the seeding call to know their game time. 

Up Next at Santa Fe

On Wednesday, May 8^th,the Saints will play in Clearwater, Florida for the FCSAA Region VIII tournament. Seeding, game time, and opponent is TBA.