Ledes from the Land of Enchantment

Takeaways as Santa Fe tops Ocala Trinity Catholic

ALACHUA — Tuesday night’s meeting between Ocala Trinity Catholic and Santa Fe could’ve gotten ugly early as the Celtics jumped out on the Raiders early with a two-run first inning that came as a result of defensive mishaps from Santa Fe.

“We kinda weathered the storm early,” Santa Fe head coach Travis Yeckring said.

But eventually the the gray skies cleared, paving the way for the Raiders (16-3) to not only come back, but also pull away with a 10-5 win over the Celtics (12-7) from Matt Swartz Memorial Field.

Here are takeaways from the heavyweight matchup.

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Kyler Nowling, Devante Mitchum ignite Raiders’ offense

Santa Fe’s two-run deficit didn’t last long as junior Kyler Nowling (2-3, 2 RBI) sent a one-out, full-count offering over the left field fence in the second inning, good for a solo home run to put the Raiders on the board.

However, the Raiders would enter the third inning still trailing by a run after stranding two runners in the bottom of the second.

But Santa Fe’s lineup would once again flaunt its power in its next at-bat as senior Devante Mitchum led off the inning with the Raiders’ second solo shot of the night, tying the game at 2-2.

“We got two big bops from Kyler and Devante tonight, and that helped us get going a little bit early on,” Yeckring said.

The Raiders followed Mitchum’s homer by passing the bat and stringing together three more hits, which scored another pair of runs for Santa Fe, which entered the fourth inning with a 4-2 lead.

Santa Fe High School's Devante Mitchum (8) celebrates with his teammates after hitting a home run in the baseball game against Trinity Catholic High School on April 19, 2022 at Santa Fe High School.

Stranded runners on base

After having stranded three base runners in the top of the third inning and giving up the lead in the bottom of the third, the last thing the Celtics could afford was leaving runners on base again.

Trinity Catholic senior Nolan Mason led off with a walk in the top of the fourth inning and the Celtics’ lineup followed with small ball that loaded the bases with two outs.

However, Santa Fe’s left-handed junior Dawson Card and the Raiders’ field worked their way out of the jam, maintaining Santa Fe’s 4-2.

“We gotta compete better in RBI situations,” Trinity Catholic head coach Tommy Bond said. “I think we left 10 guys on in the first four innings and had chances to blow it open and didn’t take advantage of it.”

Leading the way for the Celtics was junior Cade Hentz (2-4, walk) and senior Cole Gonzales (2-4, RBI).

Both squads hammer down in fifth

After Santa Fe posted back-to-back three-run innings in the third and fourth innings, Trinity Catholic answered the call in the top of the fifth as the Celtics found a way to pass the bat and generate three runs of their own.

After leading off with an out, senior Luke Wilkerson got the ball rolling with a single out to centerfield, followed by a triple out to the warning track off the bat of junior Patrick Plunkett, pushing across Wilkerson to make it 7-3 at Santa Fe’s favor.

The Celtics would follow with a single from Mason and a double from Gonzales to score another pair of runs, tightening the game to 7-5 heading into the home half of the frame.

But the Raiders were prepared to respond.

A pair of lead-off walks, followed by a single from Mitchum (3-3, RBI) loaded the bases for Geelhoed, who grounded into a double play, but still managed to notch an RBI.

Santa Fe sophomore Conner Brown (2-4, 2 RBI) followed with a two-out, two-RBI double — giving the Raiders insurance runs and a 10-5 lead, which they’d hold through the remainder of the game.

“I’m proud that when we got it to 7-5, we were able to extend the lead,” Yeckring said. “10-5 felt a lot better than 7-5 there.”

looking ahead

Following Tuesday’s win, the Raiders now turn their attention to the Williston Red Devils, who they’ll visit on Thursday night at 7. Meanwhile, Trinity Catholic hosts Citrus on Thursday night with first pitch slated for 6:30 pm

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