Chiefs clear fences against St. Paul

Senior Taylor Wesley smacked two doubles and a homer during the Chiefs' 12-2 win over St. Paul.
(Chris Allen/Democrat-News)

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The top-ranked Chiefs blasted three dingers off him, including a solo shot by Kirchhoff, during a 12-2, five-inning victory -- the team's 26th in a row.

Senior Taylor Wesley went yard, his team-high fourth tater, following an error in the bottom of the first inning to give Santa Fe a 2-1 lead.

Kitamura singled and scored on junior Tyler Mattlin's single in the third to tie the contest, but the Chiefs answered with three runs.

Juniors Hunter Rolf and Matt Lovercamp singled to begin the rally, a double steal setting up Wesley's two-run double. Junior Jacob Hollingsworth plated Wesley with a two-out single.

Santa Fe put the game away with four runs in the fourth, the first on Kirchhoff's jack. Rolf singled and Lovercamp blasted a 1-0 pitch over the fence. Back-to-back doubles by Wesley and senior Ben Catlett made it a 9-2 game.

Hollingsworth walked to begin the fifth, the Chiefs again getting doubles on consecutive at-bats -- from Kirchhoff and senior Max Capps -- before Rolf ended the game early with an RBI single.

Kitamura and Mattlin each had two hits for the Saints (6-4).

Wesley was three for three with three runs scored and four driven in to pace Santa Fe (7-0), which has a first-round bye in next week's I-70 Conference Tournament. The Chiefs will play Tuesday against the winner of Monday's opener between Concordia and Crest Ridge.