KEYSTONE HEIGHTS - Three hits apiece from Ashleigh Jennings and Ashton Ludwig were not enough to overcome a nightmarish third inning as host Keystone Heights fell 6-4 to Santa Fe in the District 5-5A championship game on Thurs., April 26.

In their semifinal match against Newberry on Tues., April 24, the Lady Indians, the defending district champion, pounded the ball for 16 hits behind a five-hit night from Jennings and three hits from Ludwig to an 11-1 six inning win. Keystone Heights scored in all but one of the six innings. Megan Moncrief controlled the Newberry bats on the mound for Keystone Heights.

“It just was not our night,” mused Marquart after the championship loss. “They play good defense. They are a great team.”

Keystone Heights (17-10) now must travel to Eustis (19-5, 5A runnerup in 2017) for their region quarterfinal while Santa Fe (19-8) will host South Sumter (17-3) on Wed., May 2.

Against Santa Fe, who Keystone Heights beat 8-2 in March and 1-0 in April en route to a 13-0 district record, Ludwig, in the ninth spot of the batting order and Jennings in the leadoff position, the pair figured in all of the Indians’ scoring. Jennings drove in Ludwig and Cami Worley with a double in the fifth inning to drive in the Indians’ first two runs. The senior also singled in the seventh and, after stealing second base, came home along with Ludwig on Bailey Storey’s base hit.

The Indians fell behind in the decisive third inning, in which the Raiders scored six runs despite hitting only one ball out of the infield. After infield hits by Santa Fe’s Courtney Robinson and Jordie Bevington, Santa Fe’s Jay Carter hit a high bouncer to pitcher Daelynn Eatmon. Eatmon elected to throw to third base in an attempt to throw out Robinson, but her throw arrived too late. With the bases loaded, the Raiders’ Bailey Ledvina bunted. Again Eatmon tried to eliminate the lead runner, but again Robinson beat her throw, allowing Robinson to score and Ledvina to reach first. A wild pitch allowed Bevington to score, and an infield single by Hailey Raulerson plated Carter. Eatmon then walked Santa Fe’s Riley Schnyder and hit Jenna Hornsby with a pitch to make the score 4-0. Robinson, who had led off the inning, capped it with her second hit of the inning-- a sharp single to right center— that drove in two runs.

Eatmon allowed only three hits in holding the Raiders scoreless in the other six innings. She may have limited the damage in the third frame by throwing out the batter instead of trying to nail the lead runner, but Marquart supported her freshman pitcher.

“We were trying to be aggressive,” said Marquart. “I cannot fault her for that.”

The Indians outhit Santa Fe 13-7, but stranded eight runners. In the third and sixth innings, Keystone Heights failed to score after putting two runners on with only one out. Santa Fe’s Ledvina made three outstanding plays at third base, including a reflexive stab of a line drive off the bat of Worley, to squelch the rallies.

The Indians might have drawn closer in the fifth inning but for an umpire’s call that went against them. Jennings was called for the third out trying to return to third base after rounding the bag on a single by Bailey Storey.

“The shortstop [Santa Fe’s Robinson] made a great play, backing up the third baseman. But I saw her [Jennings’] hand on the base and the shortstop tagging her up here,” Marquart said while pointing to her waist.

Molly Crawford, the Indians’ clean-up hitter, doubled to lead off the next inning.

Keystone Heights almost rallied in the seventh inning. The Indians had already scored two runs on Storey’s base hit, and put the tying run on base when Savannah Channel singled. But Channel was caught in a force out on a sharply hit ground ball by Megan Moncrief to end the game.

The loss means that the Indians, now 17-10, will go on the road for the Regional semifinal. Marquart is counting on leadership from her six senior starters to bounce back.

“It’s not over. We get to play another week,” she said. “If we hit like we did tonight, we can beat anyone.”

Santa Fe’s Robinson went three for three with two RBIs and a run scored. The Raiders, now 19-9, will host a regional semifinal.