Sharks Fall to Santa Fe in Late-Inning Battle, 7-6

The Miami Dade Sharks came up just short in a back-and-forth contest against Santa Fe College, falling 7-6 after a decisive seventh-inning rally by the Saints.

The Sharks jumped ahead early, plating two runs in the second inning on an RBI groundout from Willy Mendez and an RBI single by Matt Thorsen. Santa Fe responded with a single run in the fourth, but the game remained a pitcher's duel until the late innings.

Miami Dade extended its lead in the seventh when Thomas White crossed home on a wild pitch, making it 3-1. However, Santa Fe broke the game open in the bottom half, scoring five runs off a combination of timely hitting and patience at the plate. A sacrifice fly by Carlos Garcia, an RBI bunt single from Conner Brown, and a bases-loaded walk contributed to the rally. Zack Dejesus capped off the inning with a two-run single, putting the Saints up 6-3.

The Sharks fought back in the eighth as David Zamora roped a two-run double to cut the deficit to 6-5. Santa Fe added a crucial insurance run in the bottom half on an RBI single from Maddox Lee, and despite an RBI fielder's choice by Matthew Say in the ninth, Miami Dade couldn't complete the comeback.

Michael Petite led the Sharks' offense, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three stolen bases. Zamora added two RBIs, while Thorsen, Say, and Mendez each drove in a run.

On the mound, Jack Garvey tossed three scoreless innings, and Luke Helms followed with 2.2 shutout frames. However, Jeffred Fermin took the loss after allowing four earned runs in the seventh.