The College of Central Florida Patriots saw their six-game winning streak come to an end Saturday with a 9–7 loss to the Santa Fe College Saints in the second game of a doubleheader. Despite the loss, the Patriots secured the series two games to one after an 8–4 win Thursday in Gainesville and a 5–4 victory in game one Saturday.
CF currently sits in third place in the Citrus Conference with an 8–4 conference record and a 14–12 overall mark.
In Thursday's 8–4 win, the Patriots broke the game open late, scoring two runs in both the eighth and ninth innings to pull away for the road victory. Richard Bello (4–1) earned the win in relief, pitching two innings while allowing just one hit with no runs and striking out four. Jose Paniagua closed out the game in the ninth to record his third save of the season.
Balint Piros led the offense with two hits and three RBI, while Tanner Swank collected three hits, including two doubles.
In Saturday's opener, the Patriots held off a late Santa Fe rally to claim a 5–4 win. Kaiden Lopez (2–0) delivered another strong outing on the mound, pitching six innings and allowing just two hits and one run while striking out five. Paniagua recorded his fourth save of the season after shutting the door in the ninth.
Jose Correa paced the offense with a triple and three RBI, while Gio Mendoza added a clutch RBI single.
In game two of the doubleheader, the teams combined for 30 hits, but Santa Fe came out on top with a 9–7 win. JP Espinosa delivered the big blow for the Saints with his first home run of the season. Espinosa and Wyatt Tesar each drove in three runs for Santa Fe.
Correa continued his hot stretch for the Patriots with his fourth home run of the season. Victor Martinez led CF with three hits, while Talan Beckford and Cal Johnson added two hits apiece.
Peyton Fall turned in a solid relief performance, pitching 3.1 innings while allowing five hits with no runs or walks and striking out four. Colson Altman also impressed in relief, tossing two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out three.
The Patriots return to action Tuesday at 3:00 PM when they host Florida State College–Jacksonville in a non-conference matchup at Goodlett Field in Ocala. All CF home games are free and open to the public.