Three RBIs by junior Ben Catlett in the lead-off spot propelled the Chiefs into the I-70 Conference Tournament championship game. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

CONCORDIA -- The only team which has been able to hang with the fourth-ranked Santa Fe baseball team so far this season is Wellington-Napoleon.

The Chiefs had only won their April 14 meeting by a 6-2 margin, the closest spread for a team which went into Wednesday's semifinal round of the I-70 Conference Tournament at Concordia with a cumulative 116-14 advantage over opponents.

The Tigers were again nettlesome in a rematch of last year's Class 1 Sectional, but Santa Fe put together a six-run fourth-inning rally and held the lead the rest of the way for a 7-3 decision.

Junior Ben Catlett singled in a run in the second inning, but otherwise the Chiefs weren't able to bunch hits on junior Cameron Seitz. That all changed in the fourth.

Junior Logan Kirchhoff's double started the frame, with a pair of walks loading the bases. Catlett and sophomore Hunter Rolf delivered back-to-back two-run doubles. Two walks packed the bags again and a booted grounder allowed two more runs to cross.

Wellington sliced the margin by three runs in the top of the fifth. Junior Joey Mulheron doubled and went to third on freshman Taylor Bryant's single. Sophomore Christian Nixdorf singled in both runners and later scored on senior Brantley Niendick's single.

However, that was all the Tigers (2-4) could manage. Kirchhoff struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam and Thorp pitched two innings of hitless relief, fanning four.

Catlett and Rolf each had two hits and drove in five runs between them in the top two spots of the Chiefs' line-up. Santa Fe (9-0) will now await the conclusion of the other semifinal contest -- St. Paul led Concordia 7-6 in the top of the third before rains came to half proceedings -- in Friday's scheduled championship game at Alma.