- Santa Fe won 10-0 against Mount Dora in the Class 3A-Region 2 quarterfinals using a run-rule after scoring 10 runs in three innings.
- Freshman pitcher Rylee Swilley struck out six, allowed only two hits, and contributed offensively with an RBI double during the game.
- Santa Fe will host Nature Coast Tech in the regional semifinal next Tuesday after improving their record to 23-3 this season.
A year ago, the Santa Fe Raiders entered the Class 3A-Region 2 playoffs as the No. 2 seed, but surprisingly made a quick exit in the opening round.
On Wednesday night in its 3A-Region 2 quarterfinal against Mount Dora, top-seed Santa Fe left no doubt they were moving on this time.
Santa Fe broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fourth, and tallied eight more runs in the next two frames for a 10-0 run-rule win over visiting Mount Dora.
The Raiders (23-3) now move on to next Tuesday’s regional semifinal, where they will host fourth-seeded Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville). Nature Coast Tech won 4-2 against fifth-seed The Villages, who knocked Santa Fe out of the playoffs a year ago.
Freshman pitcher Rylee Swilley rolled through the Mount Dora (11-14) lineup, allowing only two hits with six strikeouts and no walks. She also had an RBI double in the three-run fifth to open up the Raiders lead to 4-0 and then came home on a triple by junior Callie Blair for a 5-0 advantage.
“I didn’t strike them all out but I had the defense behind me to make the plays and they made them,” Swilley said.
Santa Fe got a couple of runners on in the first inning, but three straight grounders to third ended that threat. After going in order in the second, the Raiders loaded the bases in the third with two outs, but Swilley flew out deep to center on the first pitch.
“We started off a little slow, but then the kids started working together and things started to happen,” Santa Fe coach Gene Findley said. “They were pumped going into this game, and I think this is a unique group and they are going to challenge a lot of people.”
Santa Fe finally broke through in the fourth, playing mostly small ball. Blair led off with a bunt single and went to third on a throwing error by the Mount Dora pitcher. Senior Madisen Crosby also bunted for a hit that brought Blair home and, after another single, Crosby beat the throw home on a grounder to shortstop by junior Maren Hornsby for a 2-0 Raiders lead.
Crosby had three hits in the last three innings and drove in three runs.
“It was definitely a motivator losing that opening game last year,” Crosby said. “We were definitely a little down and a little immature, but this is a different group this year.”
Mount Dora’s defense also fell apart, committing six errors in the last three innings. Santa Fe scored five runs in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk, a dropped fly ball in center field that scored two runs, and then Crosby’s two-run double to center for the walkoff runs.
“You always have chemistry issues with softball,” Findley said. “But this team itself gets along with each other and supports and pushes each other, and it’s showing.”
FHSAA Softball state playoffs
(teams in the Mainstreet coverage area in bold)
All games at 7 p.m. unless noted
Wednesday, May 6
Class 2A-Region 2 Quarterfinals
3 Cornerstone Charter Academy (Belle Isle) 7, 6 Newberry 02 Montverde Academy 7, 7 Keystone Heights 0
Class 3A-Region 1 Quarterfinals2 Paxon (Jacksonville) 8, 7 Suwannee (Live Oak) 2
Class 3A-Region 2 Quarterfinals
1 Sant Fe (Alachua) 10, 8 Mount Dora 0 (6)
Class 4A-Region 1 Quarterfinals
1 Columbia (Lake City) 14, 8 Escambia (Pensacola) 0 (5)
Class 6A-Region 1 Quarterfinals3 Navarre 3, 6 Buchholz 0
Thursday, May 7
Rural-Region 3 Semifinals
3 Union County (Lake Butler) at 2 Branford
Rural-Region 4 Semifinals
4 Bronson at 1 Trenton
3 Williston at 2 Fort Meade
Class 5A-Region 2 Quarterfinals
7 Deltona at 2 GHS
