The Sonic Drive-In Player-of-the-Game for Friday, April 9, was Landon Rogers of the Santa Fe (Alachua) baseball team.
Rogers, a junior catcher, was 3-for-4 with four RBI, including a bases-clearing double in the fourth and visiting Santa Fe pounded out 14 hits in a 13-0 run-rule victory over county rival Gainesville at Tiny Talbot Field on Friday night.
The Raiders (16-2), who are ranked #1 in 4A in the state by Max Preps, rebounded from a heartbreaking 5-4 defeat in 14-innings to 4A #2 Clay (Green Cove Springs) on Thursday night that ended Santa Fe’s 14-game winning streak.
The Raiders wasted no time getting their offense rolling on Friday against the Hurricanes, scoring four runs in the top of the first against Gainesville starting pitcher Andrew Pickles.
John Rechsteiner, Devan Mitchem, and JT Thornton all drove in runs for Santa Fe in the top of the first as the Raiders took a 4-0 lead.
Santa Fe added five runs in the top of the 2nd, as Rogers drove in his first run with a single, and later in the inning Santa Fe starting pitcher Zane Starling drove in two more runs with a single off GHS reliever Nate Kemph to extend the Raiders lead to 9-0.
Starling pitched a five-inning shutout, allowing only two hits with five strikeouts and only one walk, improving his record to 4-0 and keeping his ERA at 0.00.
Finally, Santa Fe put the game into run-rule territory in the fourth, capped off by the big hit by Rogers.
Rogers, who caught all 14 innings of the Clay game on Thursday night, turned right around and came back to catch every inning of this game as well.
Next up for Santa Fe is a trip to Starke to play Bradford on Tuesday night.
Gainesville (4-15) is back home at Talbot Field on Tuesday against city rival Eastside (Gainesville).
Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.
