GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The College of Central Florida softball team faced a tough road test on Tuesday afternoon, dropping both ends of a Citrus Conference doubleheader to the No. 7 ranked Santa Fe College Saints. Despite a late-inning scoring surge in the second game, the Patriots were unable to overcome the Saints' early leads, falling 7-0 and 6-2.

Game 1: Patriots Stifled in Opener

In the first game of the twinbill, the CF offense struggled to find its rhythm against Santa Fe's Belle Mancillas. The Patriots were held in check throughout the afternoon, as Mancillas' dominant performance in the circle limited CF to just one hit.

The Saints took control early, manufacturing a run in the second before a four-run third inning put the game out of reach. While the Patriots' defense worked to limit the damage in the later innings, the bats couldn't provide the necessary spark to mount a comeback. Samantha Albert provided the lone hit for the Patriots in the contest, breaking up the no-hit bid.

Game 2: Late Rally Falls Short

The Patriots showed significantly more life in the second game of the day. After falling behind 6-0 through the first four frames due to a potent Saints power display, CF began to chip away at the lead in the late innings.

The comeback effort began in the top of the fifth inning. Madison McCabe reached on a walk and eventually crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly by Abbie Roach to break the shutout and give the Patriots some much-needed momentum.

CF continued to battle in the sixth, Naimi Meyer reached on a hit-by-pitch and was later driven in on a single by Kaylee Riles. However, the Saints' bullpen managed to escape further trouble, leaving the Patriots just short of a major rally.

Up Next

The Patriots (10-14) will look to shake off the road losses as they return to Ocala to regroup with home matups vs Dallas Christian College on Friday and a Citrus Conference matchup vs Indian River State College on Saturday.