"I think anytime you play a team four times, it's difficult to do so," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "We were fortunate enough to be able to do that for both HCC and South Florida State. A lot of that comes from just being able to mix it up and being able to get a little creative."
"Obviously, the teams are gonna get a little bit better and sharper and they know us and vice versa, so you kind of have to rely a little bit on your mechanics, but also to trust the process that it will work out for you, so I think South Florida is obviously a great opponent and did a great job against us and we were fortunate at the end that they made a couple mistakes that helped us out along the way."
Game One:
For game one, Schuerman sent her ace to the mound in freshman Kailey Christian while SFSC head coach Carlos Falla III sent his ace in freshman Baylee Haggard.
The Manatees got a hot start to the scoreboard in the bottom of the first as sophomore Kyria Holcomb hit a bloop bases-loaded single that sent sophomore Megan Seeds home.
In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would extend the lead further as Holcomb sent freshman Sabrina Long home with another RBI single to make it 2-0 SCF.
In the bottom of the fourth, SCF did not stop their onslaught of runs. Beginning with a leadoff single by Christian before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Sydney Parks, freshman Lauren Bostwick would hit a sharp ground ball for a single to right that sent Christian home for a 3-0 SCF lead. Bostwick's single set up a chance for the speedster in sophomore Cheyenne Nunez. After Bostwick stole second with a full count, Nunez would crack a shot to left for a two-run homer to make it 5-0 SCF. This was Nunez's first home run of the season.
"I wasn't aiming for a home run," said Nunez on her home run. "I was just trying to punch a gap through the hole and swing really hard and just make sure to see what happened. I've been trying to practice on hitting the inside pitch for the longest time, which I struggled with, and the home run was an inside pitch and was very happy that I finally succeeded and not get jammed again or popped up again. It's a work in progress and it's getting better each day."
At the top of the fifth, the Panthers would get on the board as sophomore Raylee Coleman scored on a passed ball before freshman Jane'a Mobley hit a two-RBI double to make it 5-3 SCF, but the Manatees would answer back in retaliation in the bottom half. After a one out single by Christian and two-out walk drawn by Bostwick, Nunez would set the bar as she drove a double to center to send Christian and Bostwick home to make it 7-3 SCF. After Seeds walked, Long would single and send Nunez home to make it 8-3.
The Manatees would add two more runs in the bottom of the sixth. After freshman Madelyn Graham drew a one-out walk before freshman Makayla Benavidez came in to pinch run and Parks hit a double, Bostwick would hit a hard single to right and send home Benavidez and Parks home to make it 10-3.
SFSC would add one more run at the top of the seventh as sophomore Kaylee Frascatore hit an RBI double to make it 10-4 SCF, but it was all they could produce as Christian got freshman Hannah Eden to strikeout and end the game.
Christian would earn her 19th win of the season after throwing her 15th complete game. Christian gave up four runs on nine hits while walking five and striking out six. Christian is now at 19-2 on the season. Christian was also 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored.
Haggard would end up with the loss after giving up all 10 runs on 10 hits while walking eight and striking out one in six innings. Haggard is now at 10-10 on the season.
Nunez led the way after going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI while Bostwick was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a stolen base.
Holcomb would follow finishing 2-for-4 with two RBI while Long finished 1-for-2 with an RBI, two walks and two steals.
Mobley would finish 3-for-4 with two RBI while freshman Janelle Boyd finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. Mobley would be they only Panther with a multi-RBI game in game one.
"We came out good in the first game and started hitting very well, got runners on the bases so we can bring them in," said Nunez on game one. "We did a phenomenal job putting hits together and producing runs and our defense was tight all-around."
"It's tough when you get to this part of the season and everybody is sore, tired and a little mentally drained to try and stay inventive and make this still fun so they can stay competitive, which is huge," said Schuerman. "We were very fortunate to have won a good amount of games in a row now, so a lot players and teams can get complacent about that, but continue to challenge them to compete for every pitch is gonna be pretty key for us."
Game Two:
For game two, Schuerman sent freshman Madi LoCastro while Falla III sent sophomore Shellby Young to counter.
It became a pitcher's battle between LoCastro and Young as both fought with getting strikeouts and stopping each other from scoring opportunities until the bottom of the fifth when Young would be the one to buckle first as she faced LoCastro at the plate. With a full count, the Lakewood Ranch native would smack a shot to left to give the Manatees a 1-0 lead. This was LoCastro's sixth home run of the season.
"Every time I'm up to bat, I was just wanting to find my pitch and put a good swing on a good pitch," said LoCastro. "So I think I did that in all of my at-bats, but that definitely felt good."
But as the Manatees were able to get on the board first, the Panthers decided to fire back as Frascatore hit a hard double to center and bring in two RBI for a 2-1 lead for SFSC.
After holding the Panthers scoreless at the top of the seventh, it was now rally time for the Manatees.
After back-to-back singles by Bostwick and Nunez before Seeds reached on base to load the bases, Long would come in and tie the game up with a single to right, sending Bostwick home.
With the score tied at 2-2, the pressure was on the shoulders of sophomore Haley McFadden, who came in for Graham after she injured herself in the bottom of the sixth. On the first pitch, the Orlando native popped a fly ball to the shortstop that looked to be caught, but the shortstop, sophomore April Alvarado, missed it and tried to get Nunez out, who supposedly tagged up and scored which led to a controversial decision for the umpires. After a final discussion, Alvarado did drop the ball as the Manatees pulled away with the win.
LoCastro would earn her eighth win of the season, putting her at 8-2 on the season, after throwing a complete game, while giving up both runs on five, walking three and striking out five. LoCastro was also 2-for-3 at the plate with the home run.
Young would end up with her sixth loss of the season, putting her at 11-6 on the season after giving up three runs (two earned) on nine hits while walking three and striking out one.
Aside from LoCastro, Long would be the only other Manatee with a multi-hit game in game two as she finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
"Going into game two is very well," said LoCastro. "Me and Kailey (Christian) worked very well together. She throws up a lot and I throw down, so it changes the views for the batters from the other teams and that always helps each other out there. I make the infield work a lot with the ground balls, but they had my back regardless."
Frascatore would be the only Panther with a multi-hit and multi-RBI game for game two as she finished 2-for-3 with two RBI.
"Coming into the second game, we didn't hit and if we did, it was at someone or popups and we didn't know how it changed our approach," said Nunez on the second game. "We just weren't hitting and we got too wide on our strike zones when we got two strikes and that approach killed us because we started swinging at jump balls or balls out of the zone, but we put ourselves in that position, so we went with 0-0 and swing at balls that we thought were good strikes and then you're in an 0-2 count and we weren't successful during the game."
"In the end we made it happen after some changes with one base hit and we had the momentum that I had move or get on somehow to move Bostwick and get on and Seeds came up behind me and we us speedsters, speed kills."
"The first game, we were all in it, but then again, we weren't at the same time," said Bostwick. "So our end result was good, but the next game, we kind of went off from our first game and didn't have as much energy. When Madi (LoCastro) got the home run, that brought the energy back up a little bit and when I got the hit, it took off from there."
"Game one, I wasn't seeing the ball as close as I was as the second game where I hit two hard grounders with one being the one I got on base with and scored to tie the game," Bostwick continued. "But the first game, I think I wasn't seeing the ball as I usually do, which showed. In the second game, I saw the ball much better. I did pop up the first at-bat, but I do think that that let me see the rest of the pitches good."
Other Suncoast Scores:
Polk State (19-24, 6-8 Suncoast) swept St. Pete College (23-20, 5-9 Suncoast) 8-1 in game one and 5-4 in game two.
#1 FSW (44-1, 11-1 Suncoast) and Hillsborough (13-22, 3-9 Suncoast) were schedule to face each other today, but due to inclement weather it was cancelled and a makeup date is set at April 13 at 1 and 3 pm.
Up Next:
The Manatees close out their final doubleheader as they welcome SPC (23-20, 5-9) on Tuesday, April 9 at 5 and 7 pm. The game will be dubbed as sophomore night for eight seniors: Nunez, McFadden, Holcomb, Parks, Seeds, Nicci Palumbo, Madison Yoder and Lindsey Hall.
"Anytime you play a team four times, you never know what to expect," said Schuerman on facing SPC. "But we're not really look too much at St. Pete as what were competing against. We're trying to compete with ourselves and try to continue to reinvent ourselves and do what we need to do. We'd like to send our sophomores off on a good note for their sophomore night, so we'll do the best we can with that."
"Sophomore night is always an interesting night," said Schuerman on sophomore night. "This is going to be particularly a little hard to let go. A lot of great girls not just on the field, but really off the field they're great. We have a lot of great memories and have done a lot of growing up and it's been an honor to be a part of it."
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