Miami, FL

#7 Santa Fe (22-3, 7-2) traveled to #16 Miami Dade College (16-7, 8-4) on Thursday, March 12th. The Saints won the first game of the doubleheader 6-2 and won the second game 10-3.

Game 1

A leadoff bunt by the Sharks in the bottom of the first would wind up coming home on a single later in the inning, putting the Sharks up 1-0 early.

Haylee McCrea tied the game 1-1 with a leadoff home run in the top of the second, and a pair of errors by the Sharks in the top of the third allowed Miranda Murch to score, giving the Saints a 2-1 lead.

The Sharks hit a leadoff home run of their own in the bottom of the third to tie the game 2-2.

Mckenzie Cox and Molly Bender both hit two-out singles in the top of the fourth, and Murch brought them both home with a single to put the Saints up 4-2. Sydney English followed up with a home run to extend the lead to 6-2.

Belle Mancillas started on the mound, recording three strikeouts while allowing six hits, one walk, and two runs across three and two-thirds innings. Morgyn Stevens pitched three and one-third innings in relief, recording three strikeouts while allowing two hits, one walk, and zero runs.

Cox and English co-led the team with two hits, and English and Murch co-led the team with two RBIs each.

Game 2

Hannah Hargrave hit a leadoff double and stole third base in the top of the third inning, and a sacrifice fly by Miranda Murch brought Hargrave home and put the Saints up 1-0.

A leadoff walk by the Sharks in the bottom of the third would end up scoring and tying the game 1-1.

The Sharks scored a run from an error and another run from a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead.

Mckenzie Cox hit a first-pitch leadoff home run in the top of the fifth, Molly Bender walked, and Murch hit a RBI-single to tie the game 3-3. Sydney English hit her second home run of the day to give the Saints a 5-3 lead.

Bender hit a leadoff single in the top of the seventh, and Haylee McCrea hit a single to bring Bender home, extending the lead to 6-3. With bases loaded and two outs, Miami's catcher dropped a foul ball to keep the inning going. On the next pitch, McKenna O'Sullivan hit a GRAND SLAM to extend the Saints' lead to 10-3.

After pitching the final three and one-third innings in Game 1, Morgyn Stevens started and pitched all seven innings in Game 2. Stevens recorded three strikeouts while allowing four hits, two walks, and three runs.

Bender and McCrea both recorded two hits and drew two walks. The Saints as a team recorded nine hits and drew eight walks.

"I'm proud of the girls for competing and fighting against a top-tier team like Miami Dade, and freshman McKenna O'Sullivan coming in clutch with a 3-2 count two-out grand slam" - Head Coach Savanah Webster

The Saints will host Hillsborough Community College on Tuesday, March 17th for a doubleheader starting at 2:00pm. Hillsborough (6-18, 1-7) travels to #12 Seminole State College of Florida (17-5, 6-4) on Saturday, March 14th for a doubleheader starting at 12:00pm.