Top-Ranked Santa Fe Upset by Spartanburg

PLANT CITY | Top-ranked Santa Fe Community College was upset Thursday in the first round of the NJCAA Division I Fast Pitch national championship tournament.

The Saints fell to unranked Spartanburg Methodist, 3-1, but rebounded with a 12-inning 4-2 victory over 18th-ranked Northeastern Oklahoma A & M on a home run by Mallory Borden.

Today the Saints will face 10th-ranked Butler of Kansas at 11 a.m. in the loser's bracket.

Four teams remain undefeated and will play today at 1 p.m. Spartanburg Methodist takes on Wallace-Henceville (Ala.) and Iowa Western faces second-ranked Chattanooga State. The winners meet at 8 p.m.

In the loser's bracket, College of Southern Idaho will meet Tallahassee, San Jacinto faces McClennan (Texas) and 17th-ranked Midland (Texas) takes on seventh-ranked Wabash (Ill.).

Tallahassee was dropped to the loser's bracket after a 5-2 loss to San Jacinto, but remained alive with an 8-0 victory over Western Nebraska.

Northeastern Oklahoma, Western Nebraska, Yavapai College of Arizona and South Georgia were eliminated Thursday.

The Santa Fe Saints left nine runners on base in their first game against Spartanburg and were down emotionally, especially after Pioneer Anna Oswald hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh.

It looked like the trend would continue in the second game as they trailed, 2-1, in the bottom of the seventh. Santa Fe coach Chris Ahern had a few words for her squad.

"I told them this would be a terrible way to end our season,'' she said.

The Saints woke up in the top of the seventh with a run to tie it, 2-2.

Whitney Mills singled and gave way to pinch runner Yahtea Benton of Frostproof.

Kristina Cruz sacrificed her to second. Then Brittany Cannon, who leads the Saints with a.498 average, singled to left off Norse reliever Taylor Rolland.

Benton scored under the catcher's tag at home.

The Saints left five runners on base over the next four innings before breaking through in the bottom of the 12th.

Saint Belourse Jean-Francois reached second on an error and scored on Mallory Borden's fifth home run of the year.