GAINESVILLE – Polk State Softball was in a good position during the middle parts of both games of Saturday's doubleheader at No. 6 Santa Fe College but couldn't finish as the Eagles were swept.

After Polk State rallied from a four-run deficit, Santa Fe took the first game with seven unanswered runs for an 11-4 victory.

Trailing 4-0 through three innings, the Eagles got on the board in the top of the fourth as Kirsten Aldridge doubled home Shyla de Lautour. Aldridge scored on a passed ball later in the inning.

Polk State drew even with two more runs in the fifth. Thea Williams led off the inning with a single before scoring on Calonnie Holmes' two-run home run to tie the game at 4 apiece.

The Saints answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Rylie Blankenship put Santa Fe ahead for good with an RBI triple. Molly Bender highlighted the inning with a two-run home run – her second blast of the game. Bender finished with five RBIs.

For the second game in a row, Polk State was able to overcome an early deficit in game two. The Saints closed with 16 unanswered runs for an 18-3 run-rule victory in five innings.

The Eagles (14-22, 6-14 Citrus Conference) managed just one hit in the contest, but that hit gave them the lead. Trailing 2-0 after two innings, Ciana Vargas and de Latour each walked in the top of the third before Aldridge went deep to centerfield for a three-run blast to give Polk State a 3-2 lead.

Santa Fe went ahead for good with five runs in the bottom of the third, courtesy of four home runs in the inning. Bender, Kenzie Cox and Sydney English led off the inning with back-to-back-to-back home runs. Haylee McCrea added a two-run shot later in the frame to extend the lead to 7-3.

Santa Fe put the game away with 11 runs in the fourth. Cox homered twice in the inning, finishing with three home runs and six RBIs for the game.

With the losses, Polk State falls to 2-10 on the road in conference play. The Eagles will begin the second half of conference play when they return home for a Tuesday doubleheader with Daytona State College.