Santa Fe Community College coach Johnny Wiggs paced the dugout in the 11th inning on Friday, urging one of his players to step up and deliver the big hit.
For the second time in three innings, Michael Green came to the plate with a chance to do just that. This time he gave his coach what he was looking for with a walk-off single, and the Saints (10-3) won 7-6 in 11 innings over Polk Community College (5-8).
"It feels good to have your team depend on you to come through in the clutch," Green said, "and when you're able to do that, it's such a great high."
The game was dominated by the starters early on. Alberto Resendez pitched 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball for the Vikings, while freshman right-hander Andy Mee gave the Saints six strong innings and allowed two runs, one unearned.
Mee was also in the lineup for the first time this season while starting on the mound because Wiggs said he wants to get Mee used to the dual role for conference play.
"Come conference time, when the games mean the most, it's hard to take our best hitter out of the lineup when he's pitching," Wiggs said.
Mee responded to the test with a strong offensive showing to match his pitching effort, going 4 for 6 and raising his batting average to a blistering .583.
The offense took over late as both bullpens struggled to close out the game. Polk took a 4-1 lead into the seventh inning, but Saints third baseman Mike Miranda led off with a booming shot over the scoreboard, and the Saints broke out for two more runs in the inning to tie it up.
"That gave us a big lift at the time," Wiggs said of Miranda's home run. "It got us going offensively."
SFCC scored two more runs in the eighth inning to pull ahead with a 6-4 lead, but Polk tied the game up once again in the top of the ninth.
The Saints had a chance to end it in the bottom of the ninth when Green pinch-hit for Trace Venegas with one out and the bases loaded. He sent a bullet back to the pitcher for a double play that pushed the game to extra innings.
Green came up again with two outs and runners on the corners in the 11th inning and sent a 3-1 pitch back up the middle to plate the winning run.
"For a guy to come in here and take two great swings in pressure situations, it puts a little checkmark in the coach's head," Wiggs said.
Right-hander Brandon Neff was brilliant in two perfect innings of relief, striking out four of the six batters he faced.
It was the second extra-innings win in a row for SFCC, who won in 12 innings against North Florida Community College on Wednesday. Mee attributed the team's resiliency to heart, but Green had another take on it.
"Under pressure, our team is just the best," he said. "We don't fold; we step up in big situations. It just shows how mature our team is. We don't have a bunch of followers; we have a bunch of leaders."
