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| PC: SCF Athletics |
"It feels good to head to back to states," said head coach Mandy Schuerman.
For game two of the tournament, Schuerman sent freshman Madi LoCastro to the mound while HCC head coach Elizabeth Holloman sent freshman Landry Newgent to counter.
The Manatees would begin big at the top of the first beginning with a leadoff single by sophomore Cheyenne Nunez before classmate Megan Seeds drew a walk. After sophomore Kyria Holcomb was called out due to offensive interference, classmate Haley McFadden would open the gates with a double to left and send Nunez home for 1-0 SCF lead. Freshman Sabrina Long would follow with a RBI single to left and send Seeds home. One batter later, freshman Kailey Christian would line a single to center, giving the Manatees a 4-0 lead. LoCastro was quick to follow with an RBI single of her own before the Manatees batted around after freshman Lauren Bostwick hit a single to the pitcher before Nunez was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Seeds was hit by a pitch to send LoCastro home to make it a 6-0 SCF lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Hawks would get their first run on the board as sophomore Daniela Bautista hit an RBI single with SCF still ahead 6-1, but at the top of the fifth, the Manatees would retaliate back beginning with a leadoff double by McFadden before freshman Alexis Bridges came in to pinch run and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a single by Long to make it 7-1 SCF.
The Hawks would add another run on the board from an RBI groundout by sophomore Dom Mannerino made it 7-2 SCF, but the Manatees would not stop their onslaught at the top of the sixth. After back-to-back singles by Bostwick and Nunez before Seeds laid a sacrifice bunt for Holcomb. With a 3-1 count, the Palmetto native sent the speedsters home with a single to center to make it 9-2 SCF. Bridges would then follow with an RBI single to make it 10-2 SCF with an attempt of securing the eight-run mercy rule. LoCastro would be able to secure the bottom half of the sixth for the win.
LoCastro would earn her 10th win of the season, putting her at 10-2 on the year after throwing a six-inning complete game, giving up two runs on six hits with one strikeout. LoCastro was also 1-for-3 with an RBI.
"My goal is to make the batters hit easy ground balls to my defense," said LoCastro. "The infield really had my back the entire game and I couldn't do it without them backing me up every play. I'm very proud of them."
"Madi Lo (LoCastro) had a great game pounding the strike zone and helping to give our defense good outs," said Schuerman on LoCastro's performance. "Our team did a great job of supporting her both offensively and defensively."
Newgent would be credited with the loss after throwing six innings, giving up all 10 runs on 14 hits while walking one and striking out three. Newgent finished her freshman campaign at 12-15 on the year.
Nunez and Long finished with three hits each. Nunez added two runs while Long added two RBI and a run. McFadden and Bostwick were 2-for-3 with a run each. McFadden also added an RBI. Holcomb and Christian were each 1-for-4 with two RBI.
"We didn’t make hardly any errors tonight, we were laying out for balls, our communication was great and our defense was on it today," said Nunez. "As for the offensive side, we kept hitting the ball hard on the ground and hitting line drives, moving runners around and scoring a lot. You could just tell that we wanted it from the first pitch to the last pitch."
With the state tournament set in stone, the Manatees will play #3 Chipola College (43-8, 18-1 Panhandle) in the first round. Chipola was the Panhandle Conference Regular Season Champion.
"We have put so much effort and heart into this season and since we didn’t make it last year we have been determined since day one to make a statement," said Nunez. "We have the skill, hustle and heart to not give up. This team is by far ready to be done, we’re hungry and want more."
"We will be working on all the little things and focusing on routine plays," Nunez continued. "When we play like we know how to play and our energy is high we are capable of amazing things. I am beyond blessed to be apart of SCF softball. It has definitely been a life changing experience."
Up Next:
The Manatees close the regular season with one final non-conference doubleheader on the road as they head to Ocala to face #4 College of Central Florida (44-14, 19-5 Mid-Florida).
"CCF is a good team and have girls who can hit," said Nunez on CCF. "We just have to do what we have been doing. We need to keep it simple and play our game and not let anyone take it out of our hands. If we play against CCF like we have been, I have no worries that we will do great and get the win."
"It's definitely going to be a good game," said LoCastro. "Central Florida is a great team. We just have to play our game and we will do great."
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