Sports beat: Clay edges Santa Fe in No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown

Baseball on the Infield Chalk Line with the Base in the distance
Baseball on the Infield Chalk Line with the Base in the distance
Photo courtesy of David Lee: Shutterstock

It was an instant classic in Alachua on Thursday night.

In a match-up of the top two ranked high school baseball teams in Class 4A, visiting Clay (Green Cove Springs) outlasted top-ranked Santa Fe, 5-4, in 14 innings.

There were plenty of big moments late in the game.

Become A Member

Mainstreet does not have a paywall, but pavement-pounding journalism is not free. Join your neighbors who make this vital work possible.

In the 7th inning with the score tied 3-3, center fielder Devan Mitchum threw out Clay’s Max Williams at the plate.

Santa Fe rallied down a run in the 11th inning. Mitchum’s double scored John Rechsteiner to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the 11th.

However, an RBI double by Clay’s Wyatt Root drove in Sean Alvers with the winning run.

The visiting Blue Devils improved to 16-3, while the Raiders, who had their 14-game winning streak snapped, dropped to 15-2.

Santa Fe plays at 7 p.m. tonight at GHS.

Buchholz defeated visiting Leon (Tallahassee), 10-5, in a district game.

The Bobcats (13-4-1), who rallied from a 4-0 deficit, are back in action on Saturday at home against 6A No. 11 Sarasota. The first pitch is at 2 p.m.

Elsewhere, Union County moved to 17-1 with a 12-2 mercy rule win against Branford.

Braxton Dukes got the win to improve to 5-1.

Paden Clyatt had a pair of hits and Tripp Davis drove in a pair of runs for Union County, which will play at 7 p.m. on Friday at Hilliard.

(SOFTBALL) – Baldwin rallied for a 15-3 win against Union County by scoring 11 runs in the 6th inning.

Union County (10-5) will travel to Williston on Tuesday.

This news brief is brought to you by Radiant Credit Union, giving youth the power to shine. Radiant is federally insured by the NCUA.

Tags:none
Enjoying our local sports coverage? Get Mike Ridaught's twice weekly sports newsletter in your inbox.
Sports Newsletter Form
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments