OCALA, Fla. – Santa Fe Baseball started their final series with Mid-Florida Conference leader and receiving votes College of Central Florida on Sunday afternoon, and the Patriots kept the Saints off the scoreboard to take Game 1, 7-0 from Goodlett Field.

Each of the starting pitchers posted zeros in the first three innings, and starter Mitchell Gross was in command of his pitches around the zone.

The Patriots scored their first two runs in the fourth, with three hits and a Saints error.

CF's lead went to 3-0 in the fifth with a two-out RBI single, but the Saints had their first two batters reach safely in the top of the sixth in hopes of getting back into it.

Jevin Relaford led off with a single, then Tyler Shelnut drew a walk. The next three at-bats for SF came up empty, however, and the opportunity was missed.

After a scoreless sixth inning, the Patriots brought across their final four runs of the game in the seventh. After Gross got the first two outs, CF hit back-to-back solo home runs on first pitch swings, ending the day for the lefty.

Carson Pillsbury entered in relief, but Central Florida went ahead 7-0 with a single, walk, and two-RBI double.

SF was able to get one runner on base via walks in both the eighth and ninth inning, but an improbable comeback wasn't to be in the Saints' defeat.

Key Statistics

The Santa Fe offense was brought back down to earth for at least one game, and the shutout was the first this season that the Saints suffered.

SF finished the game with four hits, with Santiago Garavito's double the only extra-base hit.

Gross (2-2) allowed nine hits, five earned runs, and one walk while striking out seven in the loss in his 6.2 innings of work. Pillsbury had two earned runs to his name, recording the final four outs.

Up Next

Santa Fe (21-15, 9-6 MFC) and the College of Central Florida (27-13, 13-2 MFC) will finish two games on the SF Baseball Field on Monday, Apr. 4. At 1:30 p.m., the two teams will resume their game previously postponed by darkness, with CF leading 9-3 in the bottom of the eighth.

Approximately 30 minutes after that game concludes, the two teams will play the second game of the series, as the Saints seek to close the gap in the standings.