SCF Baseball Shuts Down Indian River State

Bradenton, Fla - The RV SCF baseball team (26-13, 14-8 Citrus) continued their work in Citrus Conference play as they shutout #6 Indian River State (27-9, 17-5 Citrus) 4-0 at Wynn Field.

“I thought the guys did a good job, especially Aidan (Ray) and Cole (Dement),” said head coach Tim Hill II. “Anytime you throw a shutout, something good had to have happened. I didn’t think we swung the bats very well and we left a ton of runners on base, but Indian River also left a ton of runners on base. We're looking to improve our hitting this Saturday and to get another strong pitching performance from both Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez). This is a big series for both teams and Indian River has a very good ball club and are well coached. We need to play at our best on Saturday. ”

“I felt the team did really good overall,” said freshman Aidan Ray. “We started off hot and we were solid the rest of the game, which is what a championship team does when we are headed in the right direction.”

“I thought the team did really good overall,” said redshirt freshman Cole Dement. “We did start leaving a couple of runners on base, but at the end of the day we got the hits we needed and got some runs up. Our pitch was stellar and I have to give credit to Aidan (Ray) for six shutout innings, which is all we can ask for in a pitcher.”

"I felt like the team did very well," said freshman Myles Davis. "Pitching was the story of the game thanks to Aidan and Cole and hitters did well today against some good arms, which was enough to get the job done."

Hill II sent Ray (2-0, 4.01 ERA) to the mound, while Indian River Statr head coach Frank Torre Jr. went with sophomore Lucas Glendinning (5-0, 2.55 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the first as sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez would send an infield single to the shortstop to bring in freshman Mattie Counts. The Manatees would then extend their lead in the bottom of the second. After Counts (hit by a pitch), sophomore CJ Richard (single) and redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan (walk) loaded the bases, Davis would then draw a walk and bring in Richard before classmate Holden Brauner brought in O'Sullivan after being hit by a pitch to make it 3-0 SCF.

After a scoreless third, Davis would increase the Manatees' lead further in the bottom of the fourth on a 2-1 count as the Iowan would send a solo homer to center off the centerfielder's glove for his second home run of the season.

"It felt good just trying to get on base," said Davis on his home run. "I just happened to hit it well enough on and it snuck out."

Meanwhile, Ray would get himself into a small jam with the bases loaded, but strong defense and hustle would get sophomore Maikol Lucena to popout to freshman Ben Ryan to end the inning.

After Ray finished the sixth with two strikeouts, Hill would send redshirt freshman Cole Dement to the mound for relief. After loading the bases full of Pioneers, the defense would not back down as sophomore Jake Weatherspoon would ground to sophomore Mario Trivella into a fielder's choice to end the seventh.

Dement would get into another bases loaded jam, but would not be fazed as the local product from Lakewood Ranch High School would strikeout the final two batters to seal the shutout victory.

Ray would improve to 3-0 after throwing six shutout innings with three hit, three walks and five strikeouts. Dement threw three shutout innings of relief with three hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

“I felt really good on the mound,” said Ray. “The slider was here and there, but with the fastball I felt I could really place it.”

“I thought I didn't feel as good as I could because I put some balls in place where they shouldn't be,” said Dement. "Thanks to Hayden (Gustavson) behind the plate, I was still able to get six strikeouts, which was great with the curveball and splitter really helped me.”

Glendinning would fall to 5-1 after giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Freshman Javi Miranda threw four scoreless innings of relief with three hits, one walk and seven strikeouts.

Gil Fernandez would leading in the way with the Manatees’ lone multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Davis would be the offensive leader as he went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a walk.

Ryan (1-for-4), Richard (1-for-3, one run), O’Sullivan (1-for-3, one run and one walk) and sophomore Hayden Guatavson (1-for-3, one walk) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Pioneers, sophomore Brett Patten lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-5 at the plate.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#19 Central Florida 11, Hillsborough 7

#10 Florida Southwestern 9, Santa Fe 0 (7)

Miami Dade 17, Daytona State 7 (8)

Eastern Florida State 7, Polk State 4

St. Pete 9, Seminole State College of Florida 7

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #6 Indian River State (27-9, 17-5)

2. #10 Florida Southwestern (29-9, 15-7)

3. RV SCF (26-13, 14-8)

4. #19 Central Florida (28-11, 13-9)

5. Eastern Florida State (22-16, 11-11)

6. Miami Dade (21-17, 11-11)

7. Polk State (22-20, 11-11)

8. Santa Fe (19-20, 10-12)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (21-18, 9-13)

10. Daytona State (11-22, 9-13)

11. Hillsborough (16-21, 8-14)

12. St. Pete (6-30, 4-18)

Up Next:

The Manatees look to take the series over Indian River State as they will travel to Fort Pierce to take them on at Mike Eason Field Saturday afternoon, April 5 at 1 and 4 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (5-3, 3.88 ERA) will start game, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (6-3, 4.06 ERA) will start game two.

Radloff Takes Home Pitcher of the Week Award

Bradenton, Fla - Freshman Lochlan Radloff earned another weekly award for the SCF baseball team as he was named the NJCAA Region 8 DI Pitcher of the Week. This marks the third time that Radloff has won the weekly accolade (March 4 and March 11), the fifth time the Manatees won a weekly award and the fifth time winning pitcher of the week (Oscar Hernandez: February 18; Daniel Hartley: March 18).

Radloff earned the award after throwing a five inning three-hit shutout with five strikeouts against nationally ranked College of Central Florida, which was his fourth complete game this season. The local lefty from Lakewood Ranch High School is currently 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA, 22 walks and 57 strikeouts in 53.1 innings of work.

The Manatees look to continue their work on the field when they face South Florida State College in a non-conference game before taking on #6 Indian River State in Citrus Conference play.

SCF Baseball Set for SFSC/Indian River State

Bradenton, Fla - The RV SCF baseball team (25-13, 13-8 Citrus) will look to keep their winning ways on top for this upcoming week with conference and non-conference play. The Manatees will welcome South Florida State College (25-12, 10-7 Sun Lakes) to Wynn Field Tuesday night, April 1 at 6 pm before setting their focus on #6 Indian River State (27-8, 17-4 Citrus) in Citrus Conference play. Game one will take place at Wynn Field Thursday night, April 3 at 5 pm before heading to Mike Eason Field in Fort Pierce Saturday afternoon, April 5 at 1 and 4 pm.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #6 Indian River State (27-8, 17-4)

2. #10 Florida Southwestern (28-9, 14-7)

3. RV SCF (25-13, 13-8)

4. #19 Central Florida (27-10, 12-9)

5. Polk State (21-19, 11-10)

6. Miami Dade (19-17, 10-11)

7. Eastern Florida State (21-16, 10-11)

8. Santa Fe (19-19, 10-11)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (21-17, 9-12)

10. Daytona State (11-21, 9-12)

11. Hillsborough (16-19, 8-13)

12. St. Pete (5-30, 3-18)*

*eliminated from playoff contention

Likely Conference Starters:

Game One - Aidan Ray (2-0, 4.01 ERA) vs Lucas Glendinning (5-0, 2.55 ERA)

Game Two - Lochlan Radloff (5-3, 3.88 ERA) vs Shane Lavin (5-1, 2.76 ERA)

Game Three - Oscar Hernandez (6-3, 4.06 ERA) vs TBD

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off finishing last week with a 21-5 win over the University of Tampa JV before taking the series over #11 Central Florida (game one: 10-6; game two: 13-0; game three: 7-9). Currently they are in third place in the Citrus Conference standings. Additionally, the Manatees are receiving votes in the NJCAA National Polls and now one of six teams to at least receive votes in the national polls.

Locked and Loaded Pitches:

On the mound, freshman Lochlan Radloff and sophomore Oscar Hernandez lead the way for the pitchers. 

Radloff is currently 5-3 with a 3.88 ERA, 22 walks and 57 strikeouts in 53.1 innings. In his last start against Central Florida, the two-time NJCAA Region 8 Pitcher of the Week threw a three-hit five inning shutout for the win with five strikeouts.

Despite falling in his last start to Central Florida, Hernandez still leads the way going 6-3 with a 4.06 ERA, 12 walks and 42 strikeouts in 51 innings.

Another name on the mound that has made some recent noise is sophomore Daniel Hartley. Hartley, who has taken the role as the closer, is currently 3-1 with a 1.42 ERA, four saves, four walks and 19 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.

Bombs Away:

On the batting side, sophomores Luke Boykin, Allan Gil Fernandez and Mario Trivella and freshman Ben Ryan have been the main long ball threats for the opposing pitchers.

Boykin is currently batting .385 with 37 hits, 26 runs, 10 home runs and 29 RBI. He went 6-for-13 against Central Florida with four runs scored and an RBI.

Gil Fernandez is currently batting .288 with 32 hits, 36 runs, six home runs and 29 RBI. Against Central Florida, the upcoming transfer for Florida International University went 4-for-12 with a home run and seven RBI, which included hitting the walk off grand slam at home against his former team.

Trivella is batting .339 with 38 hits, 27 runs, five home runs and 30 RBI. He went 3-for-8 with three RBI against Central Florida.

Ryan went 5-for-12 with a home run and six RBI against Central Florida. The Pennsylvanian is currently batting .367 with 33 hits, 30 runs, six home runs and 37 RBI.

Wild Boys:

Redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan, sophomores Hayden Gustavson, Frank Villella and CJ Richard, redshirt freshman Cole Dement and freshmen Holden Brauner, Mattie Counts, Aidan Ray and Ryan Kaitz play as the wildcard players for the Manatees.

O'Sullivan is currently batting .306 with 22 hits, 16 runs and 13 RBI. In his last four games, he went 6-for-13 with three RBI.

Gustavson is currently batting .340 with 36 hits, 31 runs, one home run and 23 RBI. He is currently on a seven-game hitting streak.

Villella, who has become a big part of the relief pitching, is currently 3-0 with a 5.93 ERA, 10 walks and eight strikeouts. In his last appearance, the transfer from Nova Southeastern threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts int the win over Tampa JV.

Richard, who is the speedster of the team, is currently batting .244 with 21 hits, 26 runs, two home runs, 15 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

Dement, who has been the setup pitcher, is currently 2-1 with a 3.25 ERA, one save, nine walks and 39 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

Brauner is currently batting .356 with 32 hits, 23 runs, three home runs and 23 RBI.

Counts, who has been the main leadoff batter, is batting .325 with 26 hits, 26 runs and 13 RBI.

Ray is 2-0 with a 4.01 ERA, one save, 20 walks and 48 strikeouts. In his last start, he earned a no-decision in the 10-6 win over Central Florida giving up four runs with six strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings.

Kaitz is batting .300 with 18 hits, 12 runs, two home runs and 13 RBI.

Scouting South Florida State:

The Panthers are entering their game with SCF on a three-game losing streak after being swept by Pasco Hernando State in Sun Lakes Conference play. Despite being swept, they are currently in second conference and are ranked #18 in the NJCAA DII National Polls.

Sophomore Zach Doorlag leads the way at the plate for the Panthers as he is currently batting .389 with 51 hits, six home runs and 39 RBI. His 51 hits rank #9 in the nation in division two.

Meanwhile, freshman Gehrig Graham leads the way on the mound as he is 4-3 with a 2.38 ERA, one save, 12 walks and 46 strikeouts in 45.1 innings.

Scouting Indian River State:

The Pioneers are coming off of sweeping Polk State in their last Citrus Conference series and are currently in first place in the conference standings. Additionally, they bumped up from #7 to #6 in the NJCAA Top 25 National Polls after winning their last series.

At the plate, sophomore Maikol Lucena leads the way in hitting as he is batting .478 with 55 hits, 28 runs, two home runs and 26 RBI, while sophomore Brett Patten leads the base paths with 24 stolen bases while batting .354 with 40 hits, 35 runs, two home runs and 15 RBI.

On the mound, sophomore Lucas Glendinning leads the way going 5-0 with a 2.55 ERA, 20 walks and 60 strikeouts in 49.1 innings.

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger for all four games and will air livestream on the SCF Sports Network and the Indian River State athletics page.

SCF vs South Florida State - https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

SCF vs Indian River State (Gm 1) - https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

SCF vs Indian River State (Gm 2 and 3) - https://www.muscovision.com/broadcast/869148957 ($)

GameChanger Links - https://web.gc.com/teams/n7j7U9bdJC3t/2025-spring-state-college-of-florida

SCF Baseball Takes Series Over CF with Split

Ocala, Fla - The SCF baseball team (25-13, 13-8 Citrus) were able to take the series and upset #11 Central Florida (27-10, 12-9 Citrus) with a split winning game one 13-0 in five innings before falling 9-7 in game two.

"Today was a tough split after a good performance the first game," said head coach Tim Hill II. "While we didn't finish the job by winning both games, we still won the series. Sweeping conference opponents is not an easy thing to do. Central Florida has a very good team, but so do we. Lochlan (Radloff) was in control the whole way and really competed while the bats really put up some good runs. We're looking to keep improving against a good South Florida State team on Tuesday before facing Indian River State next weekend."

Game One:

Hill II sent Radloff (4-3, 4.28 ERA) to start game one of the doubleheader, while Central Florida head coach Marty Smith went with freshman Peyton Fall (3-1, 6.14 ERA) to counter.

The top of the first inning became one of the Manatees big innings in the game beginning with back-to-back singles by sophomore CJ Richard and freshman Myles Davis before freshman Ben Ryan sent a single to center to bring in Richard. After sophomore Luke Boykin was hit by a pitch load the bases, classmate Allan Gil Fernandez, who came off of hitting the walk off grand slam in Thursday's game at home, would draw a walk to bring in Davis and reload the bases. Sophomore Mario Trivella would then send a double to left to bring in Ryan and Boykin before freshman Ryan Kaitz drew a walk to reload the bases for sophomore Hayden Gustavson, who would also draw a walk and bring in Gil Fernandez. 

This would signal the end for Fall as Smith would send freshman Cooper Ryan to the mound. After the pitching change, Trivella would score off of a double play to make it 6-0 SCF as they batted. The Manatees would add to their lead at the top of the second as Gil Fernandez would hit a double and bring in Boykin to make it 7-0 SCF.

At the top of the third, the Manatees would add their final runs on the board. After Gustavson (single), Richard (hit by a pitch) and freshman Clayton Evans (single) loaded the bases and Davis struck out, Ryan would send a single to left and bring in Gustavson and Evans. Boykin would then reload the bases with a single before Gil Fernandez brought in Richard with a single to left and Trivella brought in Ryan with a sacrifice fly to left. Kaitz would then single to reload the bases to have the Manatees bat around before Gustavson sent a single to right to bring in Boykin and Gil Fernandez to make it 13-0 SCF before sealing the victory with the mercy rule in effect and take the series.

Radloff would improve to 5-3 after three-hit five inning shutout with five strikeouts.

Fall would drop to 3-2 after giving up six runs on four hits with three walks in no innings.

All nine Manatees in the starting lineup had at least one hit with four having a multi-hit game. It was Ryan (2-for-4), Gil Fernandez (2-for-3) and Gustavson (2-for-2) that lead the way offensively as they each had two hits and three RBI. Ryan and Gil Fernandez also added two runs each. Boykin rounded out the order going 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

Trivella also lead the offense with Ryan, Gil Fernandez and Gustavson as he went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run. Richard (1-for-3, two runs), Davis (1-for-4, one run), Kaitz (1-for-2) and Evans (1-for-3, one run) also had a hit in the game.

Sophomores Marcus Bradshaw, Miles Curley and Armando Guirola each had one of the Patriots' three hits.

Game Two:

Looking to take the sweep, Hill II sent sophomore Oscar Hernandez (6-2, 2.96 ERA) to start game two, while Smith went with freshman Jay Jung (3-1, 3.03 ERA) to counter.

The Patriots would get on the board first in the bottom of the first as Curley would hit an RBI double. Hernandez would then get out of the inning thanks to a double play. The Manatees would then respond back at the top of the second beginning with a one out double by Trivella. After a single by Gustavson, redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would ground a single to right and bring in Trivella before freshman Mattie Counts hit a single of his own to bring in Gustavson. One batter later, Ryan would tower a three-run homer to left for his sixth of the season to give the Manatees a 5-1 lead.

The Patriots would slowly start to catch up after an RBI single by sophomore Logan Chapman before they took 6-5 lead in the bottom of the fourth after an RBI double by sophomore Dawson Harman, an RBI groundout by Curley and a two-run home run by freshman Victor Martinez for his eighth home run of the season. After the fifth went scoreless, Martinez would make it 8-5 with another two-run home run to right for his ninth of the season and second of the game.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would cut the lead to 8-6 as Boykin would hit an RBI double to bring in Gil Fernandez before the Patriots responded with an RBI single by freshman Tanner Swank in the bottom half of the inning.

The Manatees would add one final run at the top of the eighth as Davis scored on a fielding error, but it would be all they could produce as the Patriots took the second game.

Hernandez would fall to 6-3 after giving up eight runs on 11 hits with four walks and three strikeouts in five and a third innings. Freshman Austin Monahan gave up one unearned run on one hit with one strikeout in one and third innings of relief, while sophomore Landon O'Donnell threw one and a third scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts.

Jung would earn a no-decision after giving up five runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts in three and a third innings. Freshman Jose Paniagua would improve to 2-0 after giving up one run on one hit with four walks and five strikeouts in three and a third innings of relief while sophomore Arturo Ormaza picked up his third save after giving up one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts in two and a third innings.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Davis that lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-5 with a run. Counts (2-for-5), Trivella (2-for-3) and O'Sullivan (2-for-4) rounded out the order with two hits and one run each. Counts and O'Sullivan also added one RBI apiece.

Ryan would lead the way in offense as he went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Boykin (1-for-5, one RBI) and Gustavson (1-for-3, one run) had the remaining hits.

For the Patriots, Martinez would lead the offense as he went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI, while Harmon lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-5 with three runs.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Hillsborough (16-19, 8-13 Citrus) swept their doubleheader over Miami Dade (19-17, 10-11 Citrus) 14-4 (5) and 9-4.

#7 Indian River State (27-8, 17-4 Citrus) swept Polk State (21-19, 11-10 Citrus) 3-1 and 9-6.

Santa Fe (19-19, 10-11 Citrus) swept Seminole State College (21-17, 9-12 Citrus) 12-3 and 15-4.

Eastern Florida State (21-16, 10-11 Citrus) split with St. Pete (5-30, 3-18 Citrus) losing game one 5-4 before winning game two 12-2 in five innings.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #7 Indian River State (27-8, 17-4)

2. #13 Florida Southwestern (28-9, 14-7)

3. SCF (25-13, 13-8)

4. #11 Central Florida (27-10, 12-9)

5. Polk State (21-19, 11-10)

6. Miami Dade (19-17, 10-11)

7. Eastern Florida State (21-16, 10-11)

8. Santa Fe (19-19, 10-11)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (21-17, 9-12)

10. Daytona State (11-21, 9-12)

11. Hillsborough (16-19, 8-13)

12. St. Pete (5-30, 3-18)

Up Next:

The Manatees return home for non-conference action as they welcome South Florida State College (25-12, 10-7 Sun Lakes) Tuesday night, April 1 at 6 pm before facing #7 Indian River State for their next conference series.

SCF BVB Splits Season Finale

Lake Worth, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball (10-3, 6-2 Region 8) wrapped up their regular season as they fell 4-1 to Palm Beach State (14-4, 7-0 Region) before shutting out Florida State College at Jacksonville (1-12, 1-7 Region 8) 5-0 at John Prince Park in Lake Worth.

SCF vs PBSC:

Sophomore Addison Beaver and freshman Taylor Orris would beat sophomore Isabel Schattauer and freshman Greske Camp 21-19, 21-14 at the #2 pair as the lone pair win for the Manatees. The remaining pairs would fall in their matches in two sets, except the #1 pair that finished in three sets.

SCF vs FSCJ:

The Manatees would look to recover from their loss as they face the Manta Rays in their final regular season match as Beaver and Orris would defeat freshmen Carly and Julissa Rivera 21-10, 21-14 at the #2 Pair. Redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower would follow defeating freshmen Sophia Bou-Velez and Lexi Pacheco in three sets (12-21, 21-18, 15-7) before sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza defeated sophomore Hannah Roberts and freshman Malayna Loadholtz 21-15, 21-18 at the #1 pair to seal the victory.

Play would resume as sophomore Morgan McGuire and freshman Liepa Kucinskaite defeated freshmen Maison Turner and Kennedy Walker 23-21, 21-17 at the #3 pair before sophomore Shelby Pillow and freshman Isabela Cardenas Estrella defeated freshmen Hailey Tharp and Ella Jonasova 21-15, 21-17 at the #5 pair.

Following SCF's matches, Palm Beach State would shutout Florida State College at Jacksonville 5-0.

Notes:

With her two wins, Beaver now has 26 career wins and has surpassed Ana Broadhead (25, 2021-22) for fourth all-time. She is two wins away from surpassing Kayla David (27, 2021-22) for third all-time.

With her one win over FSCJ, Wrobel now has 29 career wins. She is one win away from becoming the second Manatee to reach 30 career wins and three wins away from surpassing Yeva Serdiuk (31, 2022-23) as the all-time leader in wins.

Region 8 Conference Standings:

1. Palm Beach State (14-4, 7-0)

2. SCF (10-3, 6-2)

3. Lake Sumter State (7-10, 4-4)

4. St. John's River State (2-8, 1-6)

5. Florida State College at Jacksonville (1-12, 1-7)

Up Next:

The Manatees will focus on the three-day NJCAA Region 8 Tournament at the UMR Sports Complex April 17-19 to automatically qualify for the NJCAA National Beach Volleyball Tournament in Huntsville, Alabama.

SCF Baseball Upsets CF on Walk-Off

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez's walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth propelled the SCF baseball team (24-12, 12-7 Citrus) to an 10-6 upset win over #11 Central Florida (26-9, 11-8 Citrus) at Wynn Field.

"I thought we were in control of the game the whole way through until that eighth inning hit us," said head coach Tim Hill II. "The guys knew how to respond in the ninth, which was really nice to see. Central Florida has a very good team, but we're a nationally ranked caliber team as well. It was a big conference win for us and we need to play well Saturday when we hit the road."

"I felt the team did great," said Gil Fernandez. "We were locked in on every play and we have the next pitch mentality. I thought that was the reason why we won because we were supporting each other all the time."

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (2-0, 3.89 ERA) to the mound, while Central Florida head coach Marty Smith went with freshman Brayden Toro (2-2, 5.50 ERA) to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would get their first runs on the board in the bottom of the second that started with back-to-back singles by sophomore Luke Boykin and freshman Holden Brauner. After sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez hit a single to left, Boykin would be called out at home trying to score before sophomore Mario Trivella loaded the bases after reaching on an error. One batter later, redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would send a single to left to bring in Brauner and Gil Fernandez before freshman Mattie Counts followed with an RBI double of his own to right to bring in Trivella for a 3-0 lead.

The Patriot would then get their first run on the board at the top of the fifth as freshman Tanner Swank would score on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 still in SCF's favor. The Manatees would respond back in the bottom half of the inning beginning with freshman Myles Davis getting hit by a pitch. After classmate Ben Ryan popped a double to left, Brauner would reach second on an error while Davis and Ryan extended SCF's lead to 5-1 before Smith sent freshman Cory Geinzer to the mound to finish the fifth.

Central Florida would then cut the Manatees to 5-4 after an RBI single by Swank and two-run triple by sophomore Marcus Bradshaw. Meanwhile, Hill II already sent redshirt freshman Cole Dement to finish the sixth.

After the seventh went scoreless, the Patriots would take their first lead of the game as sophomore Miles Curley would hit a two-run homer to left for his third of the season and gave them a 6-5 lead. Dement would finish through the inning.

Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Manatees would pull together the offense they needed. After Davis lead off with a single, sophomore CJ Richard would come in as a pinch runner and steal second before Ryan drew a walk. Freshman Ryan Kaitz would then come in to pinch run for Ryan before Smith pulled Geinzer and sent freshman Colson Altman to the mound.

After the change, Boykin would send a bunt single to third base and load the bases for Brauner, who would get hit by a pitch and bring in Richard to tie the game at 6-6. All eyes turned towards Gil Fernandez on an 0-1 count as the upcoming transfer for Florida International University towered a grand slam to left for his sixth home run of the season and second career grand slam for the walk off victory.

"When I went to the at-bat, I wanted to do the job," said Gil Fernandez. "I was looking to hit the ball far and hard to score a run and win the game. The result was a lot better than I expected when I knew it was out. My reaction was pretty exciting because I was looking for that moment and me doing it was something that has no emotion to describe but electric. When I was rounding the bases, I felt that I was on the sky and all the struggles and hard work I put in paid off in the end."

"Allan is a good hitter," said Hill II. "It was great to see him come through when the team needed it. I thought when he first hit it, the game was over because it would be at least a sacrifice fly, but obviously he got it much better that that for a walk off grand slam."

Both Ray and Toro would earn no-decision. Ray would give up four runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings, while Toro gave up five runs (two earned) on 10 hits with two strikeouts in four and a third innings.

Dement would improve to 2-1 after giving up two runs on two hits with one walk in three and a third innings of relief.

Altman would fall to 1-1 and get a blown save after giving up three runs on two hits in no innings of relief.

Five Manatees had a multi-hit game with two having three hits. It was Gil Fernandez that lead the offense as he went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and two runs. Brauner would lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs, while Boykin went 3-for-5 with a run.

Ryan would go 2-for-3 with a run and two walks, while Davis rounded out the order going 2-for-4 with a run. Counts (1-for-5, one RBI), O'Sullivan (1-for-4, two RBI) and sophomore Hayden Gustavson (1-for-4) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Patriots, Bradshaw (2-for-5, two RBI), Swank (2-for-3, one RBI and two runs) and sophomore Armando Guirola (2-for-4, one run) each had two hits in the game.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#13 Florida Southwestern (26-9, 12-7 Citrus) 10, Daytona State (11-19, 9-10 Citrus) 2

Miami Dade (19-15, 10-9 Citrus) 9, Hillsborough (14-19, 6-13 Citrus) 8

Seminole State College of Florida (21-15, 9-10 Citrus) 5, Santa Fe (17-19, 8-11 Citrus) 3

St. Pete (4-29, 2-17 Citrus) 7, Eastern Florida State (20-15, 9-10 Citrus) 4

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #7 Indian River State (24-8, 14-4)

2. #13 Florida Southwestern (26-9, 12-7)

3. SCF (24-12, 12-7)

4. Polk State (21-16, 11-7)

5.  #11 Central Florida (26-9, 11-8)

6. Miami Dade (19-15, 10-9

7. Seminole State College of Florida (21-15, 9-10)

8. Eastern Florida State (20-15, 9-10)

9. Daytona State (11-19, 9-10)

10. Santa Fe (17-19, 8-11)

11. Hillsborough (14-19, 6-13)

12. St. Pete (4-29, 2-17)

Up Next:

The Manatees look to go for the series as they head to Ocala to face Central Florida at Goodlett Field Saturday afternoon, March 30 at 12 and 3 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-3, 4.28 ERA) will be given the nod to start game one, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (6-2, 2.96 ERA) will start game two.

SCF Baseball Set for Central Florida

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (23-12, 11-7 Citrus) will look to focus on their next series in Citrus Conference play as they face #11 Central Florida (26-8, 11-7 Citrus). Game one will be at Robert C. Wynn Field Thursday night, March 27 at 5 pm, while games two and three will take place at Goodlett Field in Ocala Saturday afternoon, March 29 at 12 and 3 pm.

Game one will air on the SCF Sports Network while games two and three will air on the Patriots athletic page.

Citrus Conference Scores:

1. #7 Indian River State (24-8, 14-4)

2. #11 Central Florida (26-8, 11-7)

3. #13 Florida Southwestern (25-9, 11-7)

4. SCF (23-12, 11-7)

5. Polk State (21-16, 11-7)

6. Eastern Florida State (20-14, 9-9)

7. Miami Dade (17-15, 9-9)

8. Daytona State (11-18, 9-9)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (20-15, 8-10)

10. Santa Fe (17-18, 8-10)

11. Hillsborough (14-18, 6-12)

12. St. Pete (3-29, 1-17)

Likely Game Starters vs Central Florida:

Game One - Aidan Ray (2-0, 3.89 ERA) vs Brayden Toro (2-2, 5.50 ERA)

Game Two - Lochlan Radloff (4-3, 4.28 ERA) vs Hunter Jones (1-1, 7.62 ERA)

Game Three - Oscar Hernandez (6-2, 2.96 ERA) vs Peyton Fall (3-1, 6.14 ERA)

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of winning their last series against Hillsborough, where they would win game one 10-8 in extra inning before splitting their doubleheader losing the first game 11-4 before winning the second game 9-5. This would be followed with a 21-5 over the University of Tampa JV on the road.

Currently, the Manatees are in a four-way tie for second place with #11 Central Florida, #13 Florida Southwestern and Polk State.

Pitching Stance Game:

Sophomores Oscar Hernandez and Daniel Hartley and freshmen Lochlan Radloff and Aidan lead the way on the mound.

Hernandez is currently 6-2 with a 2.96 ERA, eight walks and 39 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. He earned the win over Hillsborough after throwing seven innings with four strikeouts.

Hartley, who has taken the role as a closer, is currently 3-1 with a 1.42 ERA, four saves, four walks and 19 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. He was named the NJCAA Region 8 Pitcher of the Week last week.

Radloff, who was named NJCAA Region 8 Pitcher of the Week for two straight weeks, is currently 4-3 with a 4.28 ERA, 22 walks and 52 strikeouts in 48.1 innings.

Ray, who was put in the starting rotation last week, is currently 2-0 with a 3.89 ERA, one save, 18 walks and 42 strikeouts.

Big Bombs:

Sophomore Luke Boykin has been leading the path in home run hitting for the Manatees. Boykin is currently batting .373 with 31 hits, 22 runs, 10 home runs and 28 RBI. In fact, the transfer from the University of Georgia has hit a home run in four straight games.

Boykin is not the only player that has been hitting the home run ball as sophomores Allan Gil Fernandez and Mario Trivella and freshmen Ben Ryan and Ryan Kaitz have been doing so.

Gil Fernandez is batting .283 with 28 hits, 31 runs, five home runs and 22 RBI. He went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI against Tampa JV.

Trivella is batting .337 with 35 hits, 23 runs, five home runs, 27 RBI and eight stolen bases.

Ryan is batting .359 with 28 hits, five home runs and 31 RBI.

Kaitz is batting .298 with 17 hits, 11 runs, two home runs and 13 RBI.

Scouting Central Florida:

The Patriots are coming off of winning their series against Santa Fe (11-1, W; 9-4, L; 13-12, W) before taking a 6-5 win over St. John's River State. As noted, they are in a four-way tie for second place with SCF, #13 Florida Southwestern and Polk State.

At the plate, sophomore Dawson Harman, a transfer from High Point University, leads the way in offense as he is currently batting .353 with 42 hits, 40 runs, 14 home runs and 39 RBI. Additionally, he was named the NJCAA National Player of the Week last week.

Links:

Game One - https://team1sports.com/scfmanatees/

Games Two and Three - https://cfpatriots.prestosports.com/livestream/index

SCF Baseball Takes Down Tampa JV

Tampa, Fla - The SCF baseball team (23-12, 11-7 Citrus) were able to snag another non-conference road game as they defeated the University of Tampa JV (10-10) 21-5.

"We played pretty well today and swung the bats great," said head coach Tim Hill II. "We had a lot of guys get to play, which was nice. We need to have some good pitching performances and play good defense when we have Central Florida coming up."

Hill II sent sophomore Gavyn Bowen (1-0, 11.20 ERA) to the mound, while Tampa JV head coach Mark Johnson went with sophomore Gabe Wheeler (0-1, 5.73 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would have no problem getting on the board first at the top of the first as freshman Mattie Counts would hit a double to bring in sophomore Mario Trivella. They would then extend the lead beginning with freshman Dominic Donatucci getting hit by a pitch and stealing second before freshman Will Rawls hit a single to bring in Donatucci. Sophomore CJ Richard would then hit an RBI triple to bring in Rawls before Trivella brought in Richard with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 SCF.

At the top of the third, the Manatees continued to push runs on the board as sophomore Luke Boykin would hit a solo home run in the fourth straight game for his 10th of the season. After freshman Myles Davis hit a double, he would then score on a wild pitch. Donatucci, Rawls and sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez would draw walks to load the bases before Richard drew a walk of his own to bring in Gil Fernandez to make it 7-0 SCF.

At the top of the fourth, after Counts and freshman Ryan Kaitz drew walks, Counts would score on a wild pitch before Gil Fernandez showed off his power as the upcoming transfer for Florida International University hit a two-run home run for his fifth of the season and put the Manatees up 10-0.

After the fifth inning went scoreless, the Manatees would add on to the lead at the top of the sixth as Kaitz would bring in Davis with a two-run home run for his second of the season for a 12-0 SCF lead. They would increase the lead further at the top of the seventh as Kaitz would hit an RBI single to bring in Boykin to make 13-0.

At the top of the eighth, the Manatees would add their final runs on the board beginning with a leadoff double by Donatucci and a single by Rawls. After Richard drew a walk to load the bases, freshman Holden Brauner would get hit by a pitch and bring in Donatucci. One batter later, freshman Ben Ryan would get hit by a pitch and bring in Rawls before Kaitz drew a walk to bring in Richard and Gil Fernandez got hit by a pitch to bring in Brauner. The Manatees would bat around as Donatucci would draw a walk to bring in Ryan before Rawls cleared the bases with a double to right-center to bring in Kaitz, Gil Fernandez and Donatucci to make it 21-0 SCF.

The Spartans would eventually get on the board with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, but it would ultimately not be enough as the Manatees sealed the victory.

Bowen would earn a no-decision after throwing four scoreless innings with three hits, three walks and four strikeouts. Sophomore Frank Villela would get the win and improve to 3-0 after throwing two scoreless innings of relief with walks and one strikeout.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Rawls that lead the way in hitting and offense as he finished 4-for-5 with four RBI, two runs and one walk. Kaitz would follow going 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, three runs, two walks and a stolen base, while Boykin would go 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs scored and Davis rounded out the order going 2-for-4 with two runs and a walk.

Counts (1-for-3, one run, one RBI, one walk and one stolen base), Gil Fernandez (1-for-3, one home run, three runs, three RBI and two walks), Donatucci (1-for-3, three runs, one RBI, two walks and two stolen bases), Richard (1-for-4, two runs, two RBI and two walks) and redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan (1-for-2) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

Citrus Conference Scores:

1. #7 Indian River State (24-7, 14-4)

2. #11 Central Florida (25-8, 11-7)

3. #13 Florida Soutwestern (25-9, 11-7)

4. SCF (23-12, 11-7)

5. Polk State (21-15, 11-7)

6. Eastern Florida State (20-13, 9-9)

7. Miami Dade (17-15, 9-9)

8. Daytona State (11-18, 9-9)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (19-15, 8-10)

10. Santa Fe (16-18, 8-10)

11. Hillsborough (13-18, 6-12)

12. St. Pete (3-29, 1-17)

Up Next:

The Manatees resume Citrus Conference play as they face #11 Central Florida (25-8, 11-7 Citrus) for their next series. Game one will take place at Wynn Field Thursday night, March 27 at 5 pm while games two and three will take place at Goodlett Field in Ocala Saturday afternoon, March 29 at 12 and 3 pm.

Likely Game Starters vs Central Florida -

Game One: Aidan Ray (2-0, 3.89 ERA) vs Brayden Toro (2-2, 5.50 ERA)

Game Two: Lochlan Radloff (4-3, 4.28 ERA) vs Hunter Jones (1-1, 7.62 ERA)

Game Three: Oscar Hernandez (6-2, 2.96 ERA) vs Peyton Fall (3-1, 6.14 ERA)

SCF Softball Takes Series Over FSCJ with Split

Jacksonville, Fla. - The SCF softball team (4-8, 4-8 Sun Lakes) were able to take their series over Florida State College at Jacksonville (14-21, 5-7 Sun Lakes) on the road with a split winning game one 6-0 before losing game two 8-7.

Game One:

Head coach Brett Sauerwein sent freshman A'Lana Martinez to the mound to start game one, while FSCJ head coach Sabrina Hartsell sent freshman Alexis Laura to counter.

The first three innings were a pitcher's duel between A. Martinez and Laura. At the top of the fourth, the Manatees would be the ones to get on the board first beginning with a leadoff walk by freshman Joni Taylor. After a double by classmate Bri Thies, Taylor would take the opportunity and score by stealing home. After sophomore Abigayle Smith drew a walk before freshman Brooke-Lynn Hilderbrand moved Thies and Smith into scoring position, sophomore Kamryn Martinez would single to center to bring in Thies before Smith scored after stealing home. After A. Martinez and freshman Josie Alderson drew back-to-back walks before moving to scoring position on a passed ball, Alderson would then score on a second passed ball before freshman Kaitlyn Shea hit an infield single to third to bring in A. Martinez for a 5-0 SCF lead.

The Manatees would add one final run at the top of the sixth as Alderson would score from a Manta Ray error before sealing the win.

A. Martinez would improve to 3-3 after throwing a shutout with eight hits and four walks. She was also 1-for-3 with a run at the plate.

Laura would fall to 4-7 after giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits with five walks and one strikeout in six and two-thirds innings. Freshman Brittani Murray would give up two runs (one earned) with two walks in one-third of an inning of relief.

Theis would lead the way in hitting as she went 2-for-3 with a run and a walk. Shea (1-for-3, one RBI and one stolen base), K. Martinez (1-for-4, one RBI) and Alderson (1-for-1, two runs and two walks) had the remaining three hits

Game Two:

For game two, Sauerwein sent Hilderbrand to the mound, while Hartsell went with freshman Kailey Walker.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees got on the board first at the second as Alderson drove a single to bring in Hilderbrand. The Manatees would increase their lead at the top of the third beginning with A. Martinez reaching on an error and Shea singling to left. Thies would then make a sacrifice bunt to move the runners in scoring position for freshman Kierstyn Aumua who would bring in A. Martinez and Shea with a single to make it 3-0 SCF.

The Manta Rays would then get on the board in the bottom of the third and tie the game after an RBI single freshman Brooklyn Davis, a bunt single by freshman Peyton Studt and an RBI fielder's choice by freshman Taylor Burton.

The Manatees would retake the lead as Hilderbrand single and second second and third base before stealing home to make it 4-3 before Aumua hit a solo home run to center for her first collegiate home run to make 5-3. The Manta Rays would retake the lead in the bottom half of the inning after a sacrifice fly by Masey Padgett and a two-run single by Riley Page to make it 6-5 FSCJ.

At the top of the sixth, Smith would tie the game with a solo home run to center for her first of the season before Hilderbrand hit an inside the park home run for her first collegiate home run of the season to make it 7-6 to retake the lead. The Manta Rays would eventually win the game in the bottom of the seventh on a walkoff sacrifice fly to win the game.

Hilderbrand would fall to 1-5 after giving up eight runs (five earned) on nine hits with five walks in six innings, while going 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run, two runs and four stolen bases. A. Martinez threw two-thirds of a scoreless inning and went 1-for-4 with a run at the plate

Walker earned a no-decision after she gave up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits with two walks and one strikeout in five and two-third innings. Laura would earn the win and improve to 5-7 after throwing one and a third scoreless innings of relief with one strikeout.

Aumua would be the offensive leader as she went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Smith rounded out the order going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

Shea (1-for-4, one run) and Alderson (1-for-2, one RBI) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

Up Next:

The Manatees return to action as they face #2 ranked St. John's River State (31-9, 11-1 Sun Lakes) for their next conference series.

SCF Baseball Takes Series with Split vs HCC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (22-12, 11-7 Citrus) were able to secure their fourth series in Citrus Conference play as the split with Hillsborough (13-18, 6-12 Citrus) losing game one 11-4 before winning game two 9-5 to take the series.

Game One:

Head coach Tim Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-2, 3.95 ERA) to start game one on the mound, while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton went with freshman Anthony Jacquez (1-4, 8.53 ERA) to counter.

Hillsborough would take the lead in the first inning after an RBI double by sophomore Angel Matos. After the second inning went scoreless, the Hawks would increase the lead to 4-0 after an two-run triple by Matos and an RBI single by sophomore Blake Opie before the Manatees got their first run on the board in the bottom of the third after an RBI triple by sophomore Mario Trivella brought in freshman Mattie Counts.

After the fourth went scoreless, the Hawks would increase their lead after a two-run single by sophomore Tyler Gundelfinger made it 6-1 before sophomore Luke Boykin showed his power with a solo home run to left for his eighth home run of the season to make it 6-2.

The Hawks would add three more runs at the top of the sixth after an RBI single by sophomore Luke Fikar, before he scored on a fielding error, and an RBI double by Opie. The Manatees would then score in the bottom half of the inning after an RBI single by Boykin brought in sophomore Hayden Gustavson and freshman Holden Brauner brought in sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez after getting hit by pitch before the Hawks scored one final run at the top of the seventh off of an RBI single by sophomore Jack Martinez before they sealed the game.

Radloff would fall to 4-3 after giving up six runs on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in five innings.

Jacquez would improve to 2-4 after giving up two runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings.

Boykin would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, while freshman Myles Davis went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Counts (1-for-3, one run and one walk), Trivella (1-for-4, one RBI), Gustavson (1-for-3, one run and one walk) and freshman Ben Ryan (1-for-2, one walk) had the remaining four hits.

Game Two:

Looking to take the rubber game, Hill II sent sophomore Oscar Hernandez (5-2, 2.79 ERA) to the mound, while Leaton went with sophomore JD Bryan (3-2, 6.94 ERA).

The Hawks would get on the board first at the top of the first after a sacrifice fly by Matos before they increased the lead to 3-0 after a Fikar RBI double and a run scored on a fielding error.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees would cut the Hawks' lead to 3-2 after redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan lined a triple to right to bring in Brauner and Gustavson. The Hawks made it 4-2 after an RBI double by Gundelfinger at the top of the fifth before Boykin responded in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run to left for his ninth of the season and his third in the series to cut the lead to 4-3.

After the sixth went scoreless, the Manatees would then put together the rally they were looking for in the bottom of the seventh. After Boykin drew a leadoff walk and Ryan hit a double to put runners in scoring position, the Hawks would send Nathan Aprile to come in for Bryan. This would set up a chance for Davis to bring in Boykin and Ryan as he popped a single to center to do so and give the Manatees a 5-4 lead. After Brauner reached base on a fielding error, both he and Davis would score off of three wild pitches. Gustavson would then draw a walk before Leaton sent freshman Michael Halfpenny to the mound. After O'Sullivan drew a walk and stole second, Gustavson would score on a error before freshman Dominic Donatucci would send a single to right and bring in O'Sullivan to make it 9-4 SCF.

The Hawks would add one final run at the top of the ninth after a Gundelfinger RBI double, but it would be all they could produce as the Manatees sealed the series with the victory.

Hernandez would improve to 6-2 after giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts in seven innings. Sophomore Daniel Hartley would earn his fourth save of the season after throwing one-third of a scoreless inning, while freshman Austin Monahan gave up one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings of relief.

Bryan would fall to 3-3 after giving up five runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings.

O'Sullivan would lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, one walk and one stolen base. Brauner would round it out going 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base.

Trivella (1-for-5), Boykin (1-for-3, one home run, two runs and one walk), Ryan (1-for-4, one run), Davis (1-for-5, one ru and two RBI), Gustavson (1-for-4, two runs and a stolen base), Donatucci (1-for-3, one RBI) and sophomore CJ Richard (1-for-3, one walk) had the remaining seven hits.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Eastern Florida State (20-13, 9-9 Citrus) upset #5 Florida Southwestern (25-9, 11-7 Citrus) in their doubleheader winning by scores of 11-8 and 5-2.

#15 Central Florida (25-8, 11-7 Citrus) split with Santa Fe (16-18, 8-10 Citrus) losing game one 9-4 before winning game two 13-12.

Miami Dade (17-15, 9-9 Citrus) swept St. Pete (3-29, 1-17 Citrus) 11-4 and 12-3 (8).

RV Polk State (21-15, 11-7 Citrus) split their doubleheader with Daytona State (11-18, 9-9 Citrus) losing game one 2-1 before winning game two 13-5 (7).

#10 Indian River State (24-7, 14-4 Citrus) swept Seminole State College of Florida (19-15, 8-10 Citrus) 4-3 (8) and 6-2 (7).

Citrus Conference Scores:

1. #10 Indian River State (24-7, 14-4)

2. #15 Central Florida (25-8, 11-7)

3. #5 Florida Soutwestern (25-9, 11-7)

4. SCF (22-12, 11-7)

5. RV Polk State (21-15, 11-7)

6. Eastern Florida State (20-13, 9-9)

7. Miami Dade (17-15, 9-9)

8. Daytona State (11-18, 9-9)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (19-15, 8-10)

10. Santa Fe (16-18, 8-10)

11. Hillsborough (13-18, 6-12)

12. St. Pete (3-29, 1-17)

Up Next:

The Manatees return to non-conference play as they head to Tampa to take on the University of Tampa JV (10-9) before resuming conference play against #15 Central Florida.

SCF Softball Takes Down the FSCJ

Jacksonville, Fla - The SCF softball team (3-7, 3-7 Sun Lakes) were able to secure a win on the road as they defeated Florida State College at Jacksonville (13-20, 4-6 Sun Lakes) by a score of 7-1.

"I think the team did great," said freshman Brooke-Lynn Hilderbrand. "Everyone did great all-around, offensively and defensively."

Head Coach Brett Sauerwein sent Hilderbrand to the mound, while FSCJ head coach Sabrina Hartsell went with Brittani Murray to counter.

The Manta Rays would take the lead in the bottom of the first after an RBI single by freshman Peyton Studt for a 1-0 FSCJ lead. The Manatees would respond back at the top of the second beginning with a leadoff single by freshman Joni Taylor. After a sacrifice bunt by Hilderbrand moved Taylor to second and sophomore Kamryn Martinez drew a walk, freshman A'Lana Martinez lined a triple to center to bring in Taylor and K. Martinez to give the Manatees a 2-1 lead.

After a scoreless third, the Manatees would extend their lead at the top of the fourth beginning with Taylor leadoff walk. After another Hilderbrand sacrifice bunt moved Taylor to second, K. Martinez would single to center to bring in Taylor to make it 3-1 SCF.

At the top of the fifth, freshman Kaitlyn Shea would leadoff with a single to center before moving to second on a passed ball. Freshman Bri Thies would reach on a fielding error before Shea scored on the same error. Taylor would then hit a double to right to bring in Thies before Hilderbrand and K. Martinez drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for freshman Josie Alderson, who was hit by a pitch to drive in Taylor before A. Martinez singled to left to bring in Hilderbrand to make it 7-1 before the Manatees sealed the victory.

Hilderbrand would secure her first collegiate victory after throwing a complete game giving up eight hits with one strikeout.

"I'm very excited about this win," said Hilderbrand. "It helped with my confidence in being able to help the team in the circle."

Murray would fall to 6-5 after giving up seven runs (three earned) on six hits with five walks and two strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings. Freshman Kailey Walker threw two and a third scoreless innings of relief with three walks and two strikeouts.

A. Martinez would lead the way in hitting and offense as she went 3-for-5 with three RBI, while Taylor rounded out the order going 2-for-3 with three runs scored, one walk and one RBI.

Shea (1-for-4, one run and one stolen base), K. Martinez (1-for-2, one run, one RBI and two walks) and freshman Kierstyn Aumua (1-for-3, two walks and a stolen base) had the remaining three hits for the Manatees.

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to take the series over the Manta Rays Saturday afternoon, March 22 at 12 and 2 pm.

Back to Back Homers Lift SCF Baseball Over HCC in Extras

Tampa, Fla - Back to back home runs in the 10th inning helped lift the SCF baseball team (21-11, 10-6 Citrus) to a 10-8 victory over Hillsborough (12-17, 5-11 Citrus) in 10 innings.

"Tonight was a very hard fought game on both sides," said head coach Tim Hill II. "I thought both teams had some big hits and it came down to the wire. Looking for Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez) to give us quality innings this Saturday."

"I thought our pitching was awesome," said sophomore Mario Trivella. "Daniel Hartley coming down to close the game and keep us alive was very good while our hitting really came in clutch. We did a pretty good job today and we just ave to take that to Saturday and keep playing the game that we play."

"I thought overall, our team did what was needed to finish on top of this dogfight of a game," said freshman Ryan Kaitz. We made a few mistakes throughout the game that ended up giving HCC a few runs, but we stuck through and battled it out."

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (2-0, 3.16 ERA) to the mound, while Hillsborough head coach Raydon Leaton went with freshman Caleb Clover (2-4, 4.01 ERA) to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Hawks would get on the board first in the bottom of the second after an RBI single by freshman Zacharias Walker, but the Manatees would respond at the top of the third beginning with freshman Mattie Counts getting hit by a pitch before moving to second on a groundout. After a single by Trivella, freshman Holden Brauner would bring in Counts with a sacrifice fly. After a single by sophomore Hayden Gustavson put runners on the corners, freshman Ben Ryan would show his power and send a three-run home run to left for his fifth of the season to give the Manatees a 4-1 lead.

The Manatees would make it 5-1 at the top of the fourth as Trivella brought in redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan with a fielder's choice. The Hawks would respond in the bottom half of the inning and cut the Manatees' lead to 5-3 after a solo home run by redshirt freshman Justin Allen and an double by Walker, but Ray would stay calm as the Alaskan would get out of the inning.

After a scoreless fifth, the Manatees would extend their lead. After a double by Counts and a walk by Trivella before they moved to scoring position on a wild pitch, Gustavson would send a single to left to bring in Counts and Trivella to make it 7-3 SCF. The Hawks however would not go down without a fight in the bottom half of the inning as they tied the game at 7-7 after a three-run home run by Walker and an RBI single by sophomore Luke Fikar.

The Manatees would regain the lead at the top of the seventh off of a one-out solo home run by sophomore Luke Boykin for his seventh of the season, but the Hawks would retie the game at 8-8 in the bottom half of the inning as sophomore Blake Opie would hit a solo home run to left. After both teams fail to score in the next two innings, the game would go into extra innings.

At the top of the 10th, Trivella would give the Manatees the spark as the Venezuelan would send a solo home run to left for his fifth home run of the season.

"I felt great when I hit the home run," said Trivella. "As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone. I was just waiting for the pitch and didn't miss it."

It would not stop there as Kaitz, who came in to pinch hit for Brauner would follow Trivella with a solo home run of his own to left for his first collegiate home run before the Manatees sealed the victory.

"It was such an awesome moment when me and Mario (Trivella) hit back-to-back home runs to give us the lead," said Kaitz on his first collegiate home run. "I went completely blank when I hit it and knew it was way out. An awesome feeling hitting it, but also an awesome feeling knowing it contributed to our win."

"Both home runs by Mario and Ryan in the 10th made the difference for us," said Hill II.

Both Ray and Clover would earn no-decisions in their starts. Ray gave up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits with five strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings, while Clover gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts in four and a third innings.

Sophomore Daniel Hartley would improve to 3-1 as the reigning NJCAA Region 8 Pitcher of the week threw one and two-thirds scoreless innings of relief with one walk and one strikeout. Redshirt freshman Cole Dement gave up one run on three hits with six strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings of relief.

"Daniel has been doin a really good job and is starting to get consistent outs," said Hill II on Hartley. "His stuff is really good and it's good seeing him have success.

Sophomore Sammy Seplowe would fall to 0-1 on the year for the Hawks after giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts in one and two-third innings of relief.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Gustavson that lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI, one run and one walk. Ryan would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two walks, while Trivella followed going 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, three runs one walk and one stolen base. Boykin rounded out the order going 2-for-5 with a home run.

Counts (1-for-4, two runs and one walk), Kaitz (1-for-1, one home run), Brauner (1-for-4, one RBI) and freshman Myles Davis (1-for-5, one walk) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Hawks, Walker would lead the way offensively and in hitting as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#10 Indian River State 8, Seminole State College of Florida 3

#15 Central Florida 11, Santa Fe 1 (5)

Daytona State 11, RV Polk State 6

Miami Dade 11, St. Pete College 1

#5 Florida Southwestern 15, Eastern Florida State 9

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #10 Indian River State (22-7, 12-4)

2. #5 Florida Southwestern (25-7, 11-5)

3. #15 Central Florida (24-7, 10-6)

4. SCF (21-11, 10-6)

5. RV Polk State (20-14, 10-6)

6. Seminole State College of Florida (19-13, 8-8)

7. Daytona State (10-17, 8-8)

8. Eastern Florida State  (18-13, 7-9)

9. Miami Dade (15-15, 7-9

10. Santa Fe (15-17, 7-9)

11. Hillsborough (12-17, 5-11)

12. St. Pete (3-27, 1-15)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep against Hillsborough in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, March 22 at 1 and 4 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-2, 3.95 ERA) will start game one, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (5-2, 2.79 ERA) starts game two.

SCF Baseball Splits to Take Series @ MDC

Miami, Fla - The SCF baseball team (20-10, 8-6 Citrus) split their doubleheader with Miami Dade (13-15, 6-8 Citrus) losing game one 13-3 in six innings before winning game two 5-4 to take the series 2-1.

Game One:

Head Coach Tim Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-1, 2.58 ERA) to start game one, while Miami Dade head coach Lazaro Llanes went with sophomore Jordan Vargas (3-1, 5.06 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would get on the board first as freshman Ben Ryan would bring in sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez with an RBI single before he and freshman Holden Brauner scored on an error for a 3-0 lead, but it would be short lived as the Sharks scored in the third through sixth innings to take the win.

Radloff would fall to 4-2 after giving up eight runs on 11 hits with three walks and one strikeout in five innings. 

Vargas would improve to 4-1 after throwing a one-hit complete game, giving up three runs with three walks and two strikeouts.

Ryan would be the lone Manatee with a hit in the game as he went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run.

Game Two:

Looking to take the rubber match, Hill II sent sophomore Oscar Hernandez (4-2, 256 ERA) to the mound for game two, while Llanes went with sophomore Luis Rodriguez (1-4, 9.17 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would open on the board first at the top of the first beginning with a leadoff walk by sophomore Mario Trivella. After Gil Fernandez hit a single to left, Brauner would send a single to center to bring in Trivella. Ryan would then reach base on an error as Gil Fernandez scored before sophomore Hayden Gustavson would single to left to bring in Brauner to make it 3-0 SCF. The Sharks would then respond in the bottom half of the inning after a sacrifice fly by freshman Cian Copeland to make 3-1 sill in SCF's favor.

After the second inning went scoreless, the Manatees would make it 4-1 at the top of the third as Ryan would show his power and send a solo home run to left for his fourth of the season. They would add their final run at the game at the top of the sixth as sophomore Luke Boykin would send a solo home run of his own for his sixth of the season.

The Sharks would try to rally together in the sixth and seventh, but it would ultimately not be enough as the Manatees sealed the victory.

Hernandez would improve to 5-2 after giving up four runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts in seven innings. Sophomore Daniel Hartley would earn his third save of the season after throwing two-thirds of a scoreless inning of relief, while redshirt freshman Cole Dement would throw one and a third scoreless innings of relief with one walk and two strikeouts.

Rodriguez would fall to 1-5 after giving up three runs on three hits with one walk in two innings.

Gil Fernandez lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-4 with a run, while Brauner (1-for-3, one RBI, one run and one walk), Ryan (1-for-5, one home run), Gustavson (1-for-4, one RBI), Boykin (1-for-4, one home run) and freshman Will Rawls (1-for-3, one walk) had the remaining five hits.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#6 Florida Southwestern State (23-7, 10-5 Citrus) splits with Seminole State College of Florida (18-12, 8-7 Citrus) losing game one 5-1 before winning game two 13-8.

RV Polk State (19-13, 10-5 Citrus) splits with #17 Central Florida (22-7, 9-6 Citrus) winning game one 8-5 before losing game two 8-0.

Daytona State (9-17, 7-8 Citrus) swept Hillsborough (11-16, 5-10 Citrus) 6-3 and 14-5 .

#10 Indian River State (21-7, 11-4 Citrus) swept St. Pete (3-25, 1-14 Citrus) 20-6 and 15-8.

Santa Fe (14-16, 7-8 Citrus) swept Eastern Florida State (17-12, 7-8 Citrus) 4-2 and 10-8.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #10 Indian River State (21-7, 11-4)

2. #6 Florida Southwestern (23-7, 10-5)

3. RV Polk State (19-13, 10-5)

4. #17 Central Florida (22-7, 9-6)

5. SCF (20-10, 8-6)

6. Seminole State College of Florida (18-12, 8-7)

7. Eastern Florida State (17-12, 7-8)

8. Santa Fe (14-16, 7-8)

9. Daytona State (9-17, 7-8)

10. Miami Dade (13-15, 6-8)

11. Hillsborough (11-16, 5-10)

12. St. Pete (3-25, 1-14)

Up Next:

The Manatees take on #6 Florida Southwestern in a non-conference game at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers Tuesday afternoon, March 18 at 3 pm before shifting their focus on Hillsborough Community College (11-16, 5-10 Citrus) for their next Citrus Conference series.

SCF BVB Sweeps Doubleheader

Palatka, Fla - The SCF beach volleyball team (9-2, 5-1 Region 8) continued their winning ways as they swept Sandhill CC (1-9) 5-0 before defeating St. John's River State (2-8, 1-6 Region 8) 4-1.

"The Players are getting better during the season," said head coach Eunyce Vercosa. "They understand the game and the strategy that is needed to perfom and win. Now that we have a few days off to rest, we will get back to practice hard to finish the season strong."

SCF vs Sandhills CC:

The Manatees would take court #2 as sophomore Addison Beaver and freshman Taylor Orris defeated Caroline Bradford and Jenna Luquer in straight sets by a score of 21-11, 21-6. Sophomore Shelby Pillow and freshman Isabela Cardenas Estrella would then defeat Zoey Hall and Julia Emore 21-15, 21-11 on court #4 before sophomore Morgan McGuire and freshman Liepa Kucinskaite defeated Laney Mullins and Reagan Smith 21-14, 21-8 on court #3 to seal the series.

The matches would continue as redshirt freshman Bianca Guerrero and freshman Aryanna Spainhower defeated Katelyn Bunting and Kennedy Koziarz with 21-10 pair decision on court #5 before sophomore Aleksandra Wrobel and freshman Emma Acedo Lapieza defeated Aydan Bullard and Nikki Lamber 21-6, 21-19 on court #1.

SCF vs St. John's River State:

Heading into their match with St. John's River, Pillow and Cardenas Estrella would win via forfeit on court #5 as the Vikings did not have a #5 pair available to play. Following that, the Vikings would secure their lone point as McGuire and Kucinskaite would fall at the #2 pair before Spainhower and Guerrero defeated freshmen Claire Horne and Sophia Valler 21-11, 21-9 at the #4 pair.

From there, Wrobel and Acedo Lapieza defeated Lauren Herz and Raeann Savage 21-15, 21-7 at the #1 pair to seal the victory before Beaver and Orris defeated Becky Thiem and Annalise Reedy 25-23, 21-10 at the #3 pair in the final match.

Notes:

With Wrobel's two wins, this puts her at 28 in her career as she surpassed Kayla David (27, 2021-22) for second all-time.

Beaver's two wins put her at 24 in her career and is two shy of surpassing Ana Broadhead (25, 2021-22) for fourth all-time.

McGuire's win against Sandhills CC puts her at 19 in her career as she surpassed Amanda Goudinho Pizzol (18, 2023-24) and Anna Chechelyntska (18, 2022) for sixth all-time,

Other Region 8 Scores:

Lake Sumter State (4-7, 3-4 Region) fell to Palm Beach Atlantic University (8-4) and Barry University (2-4) both by a score of 5-0.

Palm Beach State College (12-2, 5-0 Region 8) shut out Florida State College at Jacksonville (1-8, 1-4 Region 8) 5-0.

Region 8 Conference Standings:

1. Palm Beach State (12-2, 5-0)

2. SCF (9-2, 5-1)

3. Lake Sumter state (4-7, 3-4)

4. Florida State College at Jacksonvile (1-8, 1-4)

5. St. John's River State (2-8, 1-6)

Up Next:

The Manatees will wrap up the regular season with two more matches on the road as they travel to Lake Worth to take on Palm Beach State (12-2, 5-0 Region 8) and 4. Florida State College at Jacksonvile (1-8, 1-4 Region 8) at John Prince Park Friday, March 28 at 10 am and 12 pm.

SCF Baseball Slays Miami Dade

Bradenton, Fla - Two big home runs from freshman Ben Ryan and sophomore Luke Boykin helped pave the way for the SCF baseball team (19-9, 8-5 Citrus) in another high-scoring game as they defeated Miami Dade (12-14, 5-8 Citrus) 13-12 at Wynn Field. It was the Manatees' first win over Miami Dade since January 28, 2023.

"This win was a big conference win for us tonight," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Although we did not play well defensively and our pitching was not very well, we did swing the bats pretty well, so we're looking to play better defense and get two quality starts out of Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez) this weekend."

Hill II sent sophomore Landon O'Donnell (0-2, 6.65 ERA) to the mound, while Miami Dade head coach Lazaro Llanes went with freshman Jose Villegas (0-0, 3.21 ERA) to counter.

SCF would get on the board first in the bottom of the first as sophomore Mario Trivella would line a single to left to bring in classmate Allan Gil-Fernandez. The Sharks would then respond at the top of the second after freshman Willy Mendez hit an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. One inning later, the Sharks would take the lead after a two-run double by sophomore Michael Petite and a two-run single by freshman Talan Beckford made it 5-1 Miami Dade. After a walk, Hill II would pull O'Donnell and send freshman Aidan Ray (1-0, 2.67 ERA) to the mound where he would get out of the third.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees would put together a rally beginning with a Trivella bunt single and him reaching second on a throwing error before moving to third on a balk. After freshman Holden Brauner drew a walk, Ryan would bring in Trivella with a sacrifice fly to center before sophomore Hayden Gustavson hit a single. After freshman Bernard Barnes drew a walk to load the bases, redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would send a single past the second baseman and bring in Brauner and Gustavson to cut the Sharks' lead to 5-4 before Llanes pulled Villegas and sent freshman Jeffred Fermin to the mound.

After the pitching change, freshman Mattie Counts would line a single to left to bring in Barnes and tie the game at 5-5. Following Gil Fernandez getting hit by a pitch to reload the bases, Llanes would send freshman Luke Helms to replace Fermin. The Manatees would bat around as Trivella would hit a single to left to bring in O'Sullivan and give the Manatees the lead before Brauner sent an infield single to the shortstop to bring in Counts and Gil Fernandez to make it 8-5 SCF.

The Sharks would tie the game at 8-8 at the top of the fifth after a solo home run by Petite (fifth of the season) and an RBI single by redshirt freshman Matthew Say before taking the lead one inning later after an RBI single by Mendez. The Manatees would respond in the bottom of the sixth after a two-run homer by Ryan brought in Trivella for his third of the season to give the Manatees a 10-9 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees would extend their leading beginning with a leadoff solo home run by Boykin for his fifth of the season. After O'Sullivan (hit by a pitch), Counts (single) and Gil Fernandez (intentional walk) loaded the bases, Trivella would draw a walk to bring in O'Sullivan before Brauner would hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Counts to make it 13-9 SCF.

The Sharks would try to rally back at the top of the eighth after RBI singles by Beckford and Mendez, but it would be all they could produce as the Manatees sealed the victory.

O'Donnell and Villegas would both earn no-decisions in their starts. O'Donnell gave up five runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in two and two-thirds innings, while Villegas gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings.

Ray would improve to 2-0 after giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in four and a third innings of relief. Sophomore Daniel Hartley would earn his second save after throwing one and a third scoreless innings of relief with one hit and three strikeouts, while redshirt freshman Cole Dement gave up three runs on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.

Sophomore Enrique Sierra would fall to 1-1 after giving up five runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three and a third innings of relief.

Four Manatees would have a multi-hit game. It was Trivella that lead the way offensively as he went 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, one walk and stolen base. Boykin would follow going 3-for-5 with a home run. 

Counts (2-for-4) and Gustavson (2-for-5) rounded out the order with two hits each. Counts added two runs, one RBI and one walk, while Gustavson added one run. Ryan added three RBI as he went 1-for-4 with a home run.

Gil Fernandez (1-for-3, two runs and one walk), Brauner (1-for-3, two RBI, one run and one walk) and O'Sullivan (1-for-3, one run and two RBI) had the remaining three hits.

For the Sharks, Petite lead the way in hitting as he went 5-for-5 with three RBI and five runs. Beckford followed going 4-for-6 with two RBI and two runs, while Mendez lead the way in RBI as he went 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Daytona State (7-17, 5-8 Citrus) 12, Hillsborough (11-14, 5-8 Citrus) 2 (five innings)

#10 Indian River State (19-7, 9-4 Citrus) 7, St. Pete (3-23, 1-12 Citrus) 6

Eastern Florida State (17-10, 7-6 Citrus) 9, Santa Fe (12-16, 5-8 Citrus) 6

#6 Florida Southwestern (22-6, 9-4 Citrus) 6, Seminole State College of Florida (17-11, 7-6 Citrus) 0

#17 College of Central Florida (21-6, 8-5 Citrus) 10, RV Polk State (18-12, 9-4 Citrus) 4

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #6 Florida Southwestern (22-6, 9-4)

2. #10 Indian River State (19-7, 9-4)

3. RV Polk State (18-12, 9-4)

4. #17 College of Central Florida (21-6, 8-5)

5. SCF (19-9, 8-5)

6. Eastern Florida State (17-10, 7-6)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (17-11, 7-6)

8. Miami Dade (12-14, 5-8)

9. Hillsborough (11-14, 5-8)

10. Santa Fe (12-16, 5-8)

11. Daytona State (7-17, 5-8)

12. St. Pete (3-23, 1-12)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to take the series against Miami Dade in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, March 15 at 1 and 4 pm at the Kendall Campus Baseball Field. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-1, 2.58 ERA) will pitch the first game, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (4-2, 2.56 ERA) will pitch the second.