High school softball: Santa Fe edges Crystal River 1-0 behind Sarah Burns' 17 strikeouts

ALACHUA − The Santa Fe Raiders were initially slated to host the Crystal River Pirates on Wednesday night at 7.

However, first pitch wouldn't come until 17 hours later as Wednesday night's storms in Alachua County forced the Raiders and Pirates to pack it up at about 8:30 p.m., and try again for a noon start Thursday.

"It was pretty challenging last night," Santa Fe head coach Gene Findley said. "We made the decision at 8:30 to do it, but then of course we had to get ahold of their people to get transportation, us to get approval ... We finally got it done at 10 o'clock last night."

Fortunately, the skies held out and then some as Crystal River and Santa Fe met for a toasty regional quarterfinal matchup at Santa Fe's Loretta Shane Field. In a classic pitcher's duel, the Raiders come out on top 1-0, punching their ticket to Tuesday night's Class 3A regional semifinal against top-seeded Hernando (23-4).

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Here's how Santa Fe did it.

Freshman phenom Sarah Burns rises to the occasion

Considering her freshman status, Santa Fe pitcher Sarah Burns has encountered a lot of firsts this year.

From her very first varsity start on Feb. 28, to her first state playoff appearance Thursday, Burns has experienced a lot in her first season with the Raiders.

"You can watch her face sometimes. She gets a little flustered," said Findley. "She has to regroup herself."

Burns likely hasn't been in a spot as stressful as the one Thursday when the Pirates had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, putting the winning run in scoring position.

With Crystal River junior Savannah Hinde at the plate, Burns found herself behind in the count after hurling a pair of balls. However, she was able to regroup before tossing three straight strikes to get out the jam and force the Pirates to strand the bases loaded.

In her final trip to the circle, Burns struck out the side, securing the narrow win for the Raiders and bringing her strikeout tally to a season-high 17.

"The last few games she's stepped her game up," Findley said. "I think this is her best performance of the year, for sure. She's been working hard in the bullpen every day. She was out injured for a few weeks, so she's getting stronger as she comes back now."

Mekanna Payne makes the difference

Findley had a feeling his team would get locked up in a low-scoring affair considering Crystal River also boasts a stout pitcher in freshman Violet Flynn. She entered the matchup with a 1.16 ERA and 272 strikeouts through 138.1 innings.

"Their pitcher is legit, too," Findley said. "When you look at her record, she's had a lot of strikeouts this season. She's had a good outing, so I figured it'd be a tight game."

Flynn put the Raiders down in order in the bottom of the first, but Santa Fe would lead off its next at-bat with a double by sophomore J'lynn Guyden. She would be moved to third via a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Kaydence Davis.

Freshman Montana Moen would ground out, bringing sophomore Mekanna Payne to the plate with two outs and a runner on third. And after getting behind in the count 0-2, Payne singled on a fly ball to right, driving across Guyden for the game's first and only run.

"Yes it was," Findley said, reaffirming the importance of that early run. "And then the defense did its job, so everything was good."

Raiders' young bunch looking to make a run

Santa Fe fielded one junior against Crystal River. Amy Crosby lined up in right field and led off for the Raiders, who have one other junior on the roster in Audrey Jones, who missed Thursday's action due to injury.

Everyone else on the Raiders' roster? Freshmen and sophomores.

"There is no senior out here," Findley said. "They're a bottle of nerves right now. The last few games have been a roller coaster. They'll make a couple of mistakes, but then they'll come back, battle and get back into it. They were pretty nervous coming out here today out the gate."

While most of those on Santa Fe's roster play travel ball, they're getting their first taste of the high school postseason as the Raiders missed the playoffs last spring.

"It's a different scenario when you come out here and start playing for a state title," Findley said.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Santa Fe Raiders softball outlasts Crystal River Pirates in rain-delayed game