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By Regan Roberts and Izzy McGarvey
The undefeated Santa Fe Saints looked to improve their record in a home game on Wednesday against the Hillsborough Hawks. The Saints and Hawks previously met on February 6th with the Saints coming away with a 7-5 win on a walk-off homerun in the eleventh inning. The result was not the same this time as Hillsborough handed Santa Fe their first loss of the season. The final score was 10-4, Hillsborough Hawks.
Saints’ Slow Day
The Santa Fe Saints have one of the most dominant offenses in the NJCAA in the year so far, leading the NJCAA in hits and doubles and are second for RBIs and runs. But, on Wednesday, they struggled to find their offensive momentum. In the third inning, the Saints found themselves with the bases loaded, and a sac fly from Zeth Rodriguez allowed them to score. They then went on to score two more runs from an RBI single from Josh Hogue in the sixth inning to tie the game 3-3.
The Saints have been swinging it to start the 2023 season! SF has scored 60 total runs in the last four outings, and sits at or near the top of the NJCAA in nearly every major offensive category…
Come watch the Saints on the home field tomorrow, 2:00 p.m. against Hillsborough! pic.twitter.com/iTcIHhSE3b
— Santa Fe Saints (@santafesaints) February 14, 2023
But from there, it was all Hawks. Hillsborough added two runs to the scoreboard in the seventh from an RBI single from Jayson Yaccarino and an RBI groundout by Trey Santana. The Hawks did not let up in the eighth inning when Jacob Griffith hit a double to score two runs, then Christian Cabina followed up with a two-run homerun to bring the score to 9-3. The Hawks added their final blow with an RBI single from Jackson Hugus, leaving the Saints down seven runs in the bottom of the ninth.
Last Push Effort
The FCSAA player of the week, Jahlani Rogers, attempted to get the Saints’ offense rolling in the ninth with a single down the third base line. Zeth Rodriguez followed up with a double, and Jacob Guthrie hit a single that allowed Rogers to score. Ultimately, the Saints offense wasn’t able to get on the board again, resulting in a 10-4 final. Rogers went 4-4 with one RBI, a single, two doubles and a triple on the day to continue his recent dominant offensive showcase.
Jahlani Rogers Claims @TheFCSAA Baseball Player of the Week, after plenty of timely hits and heroics for 14-0 @SantaFeCollege Baseball! #SicEmSaints
Story: https://t.co/rAtmtmkGGa pic.twitter.com/qcyee6wyCW
— Santa Fe Saints (@santafesaints) February 14, 2023
Looking Forward
The Saints’ record sits at 14-1 as they look to rebound from their loss on Thursday against Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College at home. They then travel to play South Georgia in a doubleheader on Saturday.
