Port Neches-Groves’ baseball team insisted it wasn’t defending the 2017 UIL 5A baseball championship, only chasing the 2018 title.

Santa Fe, on the other hand, made sure it could still chase its first state championship.

PNG’s offense came up almost empty for the second time in three games, and Santa Fe’s Indians took advantage in posting a 5-1 victory Saturday in the deciding game of the best-of-three 5A area series at The Ballparks in Crosby.

PNG’s season ended at 21-12-3, one year after a 34-8-2 campaign that saw those Indians win state in their fourth try all-time. Santa Fe has never reached the state rounds, according to UIL archives.

Statistics for PNG were unavailable, but freshman Drake Varnado ended a 5-0 shutout bid for Santa Fe by batting in Austin Bost on a double.

Santa Fe’s Josh Blankenship drove in a one-run single to right field and ran to third base on a fielding error. Gregory Adams drove in another run with two outs to give the SF Indians (25-10) a 2-0 lead.

Bryce Montemayor placed an RBI single, and Dylan Kleinhans batted in another run on a foul ball in the fourth to double the lead. Cayge Abbott smacked a two-out RBI single in the fifth.

Santa Fe will take on Kingwood Park in the 5A Region III quarterfinals.

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Information from the Galveston County Daily News was used in this article.

FRIDAY: PNG 6, Santa Fe 3

PNG scored four runs in the sixth inning.

Carson Roccaforte and Khristian Curtis both went 2 for 3, leading PNG to a 6-3 win over Santa Fe to even their 5A area round series in Crosby.

Roccaforte started the big inning with a single and advanced Holden Lane’s sacrifice bunt. Josh Hranicky walked to bring up Curtis, who doubled to score Roccaforte and tie the game at 3-3. Hranicky and Curtis then scored on an error at third base, and with two outs, Cameron Stansbury scored on a first base error.

Santa Fe scored two in the third and PNG answered in the fourth with a one-run double by Hranicky and Stansbury RBI thanks to an error at first. Santa Fe’s Indians committed four miscues.

Curtis worked the first 4 2/3 innings and gave up three unearned runs on two hits. He struck out two. But Roccaforte earned the win after holding Santa Fe to just one hit. He rang up six strikeouts.