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"In game one, we didn't do a good job making adjustments at the plate, but we did good enough to make the win happen," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "We did however do a good job of executing bunts, being able to move around runners and some key strikeouts when we needed them. We're always working out the kinks, despite making a few errors per game, which we're trying to work out, but that's what the game is about, improvement, and I think we're getting there."
Game One:
For game one, Schuerman sent freshman Kailey Christian to the mound while Polk State head coach Donna Byars sent freshman Alayna Carranco to counter.
After both teams went scoreless in the first two innings, the Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the third. After a one out double by freshman Lauren Bostwick, which was followed by fellow classmate Makalya Benevidez reaching on a fielder's choice before stealing second, sophomore Megan Seeds would send Bostwick home with a bloop single to give the Manatees a 1-0 lead. But at the top of the fourth, the Eagles would then take the lead after back-to-back home runs from sophomore Victoria Perry (fourth of the season) and Destinee Jackson (eighth of the season), but despite that, Christian managed to keep in line and get out of the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees took matters into their own hands to take the lead. Beginning with a leadoff double off the bat of Bostwick before she moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Benavidez, Seeds would tie the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly to left to send Bostwick home. After a single from sophomore Cheyenne Nunez, sophomore Haley McFadden would hit a single to center before advancing to third on a fielding error in which Nunez scored to give the Manatees a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would add an insurance run after Bostwick sent freshman Sabrina Long home with an RBI single to make it 4-2 SCF.
At the top of the seventh, the Eagles would attempt to tie the game after Jackson scored on a fielding error, but Christian would brush it off and finish the inning and SCF would take game one.
Christian would earn her 16th win of the season after throwing a complete game while giving up all three runs (two earned) on four hits and striking out nine batters. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate.
"I thought I pitched pretty well, but I still have to fine tune a couple of pitches," said Christian. "I am a pitcher that pitches up in the zone and a little bit faster, so obviously if you miss a little bit, it can go a long way, so I'm still trying to fine tune those pitches to make me a better pitcher."
"Kailey is a rise ball power pitcher," said Schuerman on Christian. "She'll give up a big hit from time-to-time because the faster it goes in, the harder it comes out, but we're willing to give that up for the amount of strikeouts she gets."
Carranco would be credited with the loss after throwing 5.1 innings, giving up all four runs on nine hits while walking two batters and striking out one. Freshman Megan Wilder would throw two-thirds of the final inning in relief.
Bostwick would be the only Manatee in game one with a multi-hit game as she finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored while Seeds would be the only Manatee in game one with a multi-RBI game as she finished 1-for-2 with two RBI.
For Polk State, Jackson was the only Eagle with a multi-hit game in game one as she finished 2-for-3 with the home run.
Game Two:
Schuerman sent freshman Madi LoCastro to the mound while Byars sent Wilder to counter.
It didn't take long for the Manatees to get on the board first in the bottom of the first. Beginning with a Benavidez leadoff single before Seeds moved her to second on a sacrifice bunt, McFadden would bring Benavidez in for the first run with a single to left. This was then followed by an RBI single from Long to make it 2-0 SCF.
In the bottom of the second, the Manatees continued to pound the scoreboard with runs. After sophomore Madison Yoder led the inning off with a single before stealing second, Benavidez would reach on an error while Yoder scored to make it 3-0. With Benevidez on second, Seeds would make it her time to shine on a full count as she cracked her first collegiate home run that gave the Manatees a 5-0 lead, which signaled the end for Wilder as Byars would send freshman Sarah Grindrod to the mound.
"I kept battling with a full count after constantly fouling the ball," said Seeds on her home run. "I kept telling myself 'Win this battle, stay focused, you can do this' and then I just put the bat to the ball and then it just went over."
Nunez would then hit a single and steal second for her 25th steal of the season as she tied the program record for most steals in a single season before the inning ended.
The Eagles would then get on the board at the top of the third from RBI singles off the bats of freshman Anizya Vargas and Perry, but the Manatees would answer back in the bottom of the third from a sacrifice by sophomore Kyria Holcomb that sent Long home.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees continued to add to their lead beginning with a one-out single from Nunez. Just then, the Okeechobee native made history as she stole second for her 26th steal to set the program record for most steals in a single season.
"Just going into the game, I don't really focus on stealing bases, but instead I focus on getting hits and making things when the opportunity is in front of me, which obviously I will take," said Nunez on breaking the record. "But setting the record has been my goal since the beginning of this year."
Nunez did try to break the record last season, but was cut short at 23 due to a broken wrist, which took away a month and a half of her season away.
"I was so determined to make it happen and now that I finally did, I'm ecstatic and super stoked about it because I made my goal from where I started," Nunez continued. "The fact that I'm not finished yet make me even more happy despite this being the first round of conference. I'm gonna try and get more than I can, but most importantly I'm trying to get on base and make it work for my team."
"It's great that Shy (Nunez) broke the record," said Schuerman on Nunez's milestone. "She's done a lot of growing up as a part of this program and has matured into quite a young lady and athlete, so she is quite entertaining to watch. 'Speed kills' as what I like to say and she definitely does a good job of it."
After McFadden struck out, Long didn't have any trouble at the plate as she sent Nunez home with a single to center to give the Manatees a 7-2 lead. Holcomb would then follow with an RBI single of her own, sending Long home to make it 8-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would add one more run to the scoreboard after another RBI single from Long that sent Seeds home before the Manatees finished with the win.
LoCastro would earn her seventh win of the season after throwing a complete game while giving up two runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Wilder would earn the loss after throwing 1.2 innings while giving up five runs (two earned) on six hits.
Grindrod would give up four runs (three earned) on six hit with two walks and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
Long finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored in game two and 4-for-7 in the series. Nunez and McFadden would finish 2-for-4 each. Nunez had two steals and a run, while McFadden had an RBI and a run. Seeds would finish 1-for-2 with a home run in game two and 2-for-4 with four RBI.
For Polk State, Vargas and sophomore Lauren Estrada would finish 2-for-4 each.
"I thought in the first game we struggled a little bit," said Seeds. "But we definitely had Kailey and Madi Lo's backs. They both pitched great games and everything. There were more errors than we hoped there would be, but we bounced back in the second game and we just strung hits together in that moment. I thought it was great, but I just think we need to continue to work on playing together as a team."
Other Scores in the Suncoast:
1.St. Pete College (23-14, 5-3 Suncoast) swept Hillsborough (13-20, 3-7 Suncoast) 7-0 and 8-0. SPC sit in third while HCC moves to fifth.
2. #1 FSW (41-1, 8-1 Suncoast) swept South Florida State College (22-16, 2-8 Suncoast) 10-1 and 14-1 via mercy rule. FSW remains in first, while SFSC remains in sixth.
Up Next:
The Manatees head to St. Petersburg for a series against St. Pete College as a rescheduled makeup from March 19.
"St. Pete is not a team you want to underestimate because they are a good opponent," said Schuerman on SPC. "Our biggest thing is we don't worry about who's sitting on the other side of the dugout. We are going to try to compete and play our game each and every pitch and as long as we continue to do that, I really think it doesn't matter who's on the other side."
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