#1 Santa Fe downs #2 Chipola for FCSAA Baseball Championship

Photo courtesy of Tom Hagerty, Polk State College
Photo courtesy of Tom Hagerty, Polk State College

Scott Jamison, Santa Fe College, contributed to this release

LAKELAND, Fla. - Top-ranked Santa Fe College rallied for a 6-4 win over No. 2 Chipola College to win the FCSAA Baseball Championship and a berth in the Division I JUCO World Series.

The win gave the Saints their third state championship (1985, 2009) and first since 2009 when they eventually lost in the championship game at the JUCO World Series. 

Santa Fe scored six unanswered runs to close the game and erase Chipola's 4-0 lead. 

The Indians scored all four of their runs in the fourth but Saints starter Trent Johnson settled down and retired the final 14 batters he faced before handing the ball to FCSAA Fireman of the Year Troy Bacon, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his 15th save. 

Down 4-0 in the fifth, Santa Fe began its comeback. 

Cole Parks' two-out double plated two runs to cut the Saints' deficit in half. An inning later, Matt Allen tied the game with a home run and an error allowed the go-ahead run to score. 

Allen hit his second home run of the game in the seventh to complete the scoring. He was named the Bob Zelinski Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. 

Johnson was named the Bob Perky Pitcher of the Tournament and Saints coach Johnny Wiggs was named the FCSAA/NJCAA Gulf District Coach of the Year.

Up next for the Saints is a trip to Grand Junction, Colo., for the JUCO World Series.