#TCCBaseball suffers first loss at Santa Fe

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (February 8) – An eighth-inning sacrifice fly by Matt Allen scored Brandon Hernandez with the go-ahead run and Region 8 No. 8 Santa Fe College defeated Tallahassee Community College 8-7, handing the Eagles (9-1) their first loss of the 2016 season. 

Tallahassee won't have to wait long for a shot at pay back. The teams play the back end of the home-and-home series at Eagle Field on Wednesday (4 p.m. first pitch). 

Monday had the look of two games in one – a four-inning slugfest that suddenly turned into a pitchers' duel featuring both teams' bullpens. 

Santa Fe roughed up Tallahassee starter Junior Gorordo for seven runs over 2.1 innings, including second-inning home runs by Tyler Kinney and Robbie Hanlon, and led 4-0 after two complete. 

The Eagles got on the board in the third. After a ground out to start the inning, five straight batters reached base. 

Kyle Taddeo doubled home Mac Wilson with the first run of the inning. The next batter, Deyvid Silva, singled home Ethan Crout, and Zach Featherstone followed suit with a double to right that plated Taddeo and cut the Saints' lead to 4-3. 

Santa Fe got the three runs back in its half of the third, knocking out Gorordo in the process and led 7-3. 

Tallahassee answered right back with a four-run fourth to knock out Santa Fe starter Robert Girgis and get into the Saints' bullpen. 

Beginning with Josh Nothdorft's single to center, the first five batters reached base. He scored on Wilson's single, and Bret Maxwell, who reached base with a walk, came home on a fielder's choice to cut Santa Fe's lead to 7-5. 

Later in the inning, Featherstone tied the game with a two-run double. At that point, the Eagles had rapped out nine hits but managed only one over the final 5.1 innings against Santa Fe's Chris Hopkins and Troy Bacon. 

Tallahassee relievers Octavio Marin and Rion Murrah were equally effective, holding Santa Fe to just three hits after the third inning, but Hernandez' leadoff double in the eighth was the one that started the Saints' winning rally. 

Following a ground out, a passed ball moved Hernandez to third and he scored on Allen's sac-fly for what proved to be the winning run. 

Murrah (1-1) took the loss for Tallahassee. 

Taddeo led the Eagles' 10-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Featherstone was 2-for-5 with three RBIs. Wilson was 2-for-3 with a run scored and one driven in.