“We really needed this win after the slow start we’re having to start the season,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “We’re playing some really good teams and we are a really good team despite our record, but I think putting these guys in these situations are going to help us in the long run.”
“I was proud of them for not giving up when I preached to them that the game is never over and we learn that from the very first game after giving up seven in the bottom of the ninth to lose by one and tonight we had something similar to that here with what look like Santa Fe was in control and we didn’t play very well, but the guys pulled it together at the end.”
“It was a struggle late in the game and we actually came together to try and put a few hits together so we can finish off strong,” said sophomore Tucker Mitchell.
“We are a good team,” said sophomore Richard Rodriguez. “We just need to keep working on minimizing the errors and communicate more.”
Hill sent freshman Eli Thurmond to the mound, while Santa Fe head coach Johnny Wiggs sent freshman Mitchell Gross to counter.
After a scoreless first, the Manatees would be the first to score in the bottom of the second beginning with a lead off triple by sophomore Jack Anderson before freshman Kevin Karstetter brought him in with an RBI groundout. After freshman Brayden Woodburn drew a walk and sophomore Jacob Steinberg hit a double to right, Rodriguez would line a single to center, sending Woodburn and Steinberg home to give the Manatees a 3-0 lead.
At the top of the third, the Saints would answer back and tie the game at 3-3 after an RBI single by freshman Armando Albert before taking advantage of two fielding errors. Eventually, the Saints would take the lead at the top of the fourth thanks to a RBI single by freshman Santiago Garavito to make it 4-3 Santa Fe. This enraged Hill II drastically to try and wake up his players.
“When you see lackadaisical plays that were routine double play balls, throwing and catching has not been very good to start the year,” said Hill on the team’s defense. “Everyone thinks they know how to throw and catch since they were five years old and yet we continue to make more throwing and catching mistakes and I get tired of it that I have to wake somebody up.”
“Their defense today was not acceptable for college baseball and whether my words woke them up or not, I don’t know, but these guys will never have to wonder what I’m thinking.”
At the top of the fifth, Hill would send sophomore David Barrett to the mound to replace Thurmond. Despite the change, the Saints would extend their lead to 6-3 after a two-RBI single by freshman Coy Phillips.
The Manatees would soon be on the coattails of the Saints in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with back-to-back singles by Mitchell and sophomore Owen Ayers and. After sophomore AJ Fritz hit into a fielder’s choice, Anderson would draw a walk to load the bases for Karstetter. Despite grounding out, the product from IMG Academy would send Mitchell home to cut the deficit. This would be followed by a two-RBI triple by Woodburn to tie the game at 6-6.
At the top of the sixth, the Saints would regain the lead to 9-6, thanks to RBI singles by freshmen Nick Herndon and Tyler Shelnut.
In the bottom of the eighth, Hill’s words woke up the players from their slumber that began with a Woodburn lead-off walk. After Steinberg was hit by a pitch, Wiggs would send Shelnut to the mound to replace freshman Lance Bolton. It would be to no avail after Rodriguez hit a single to load the bases.
Hill decided to send freshman Jake Jackson to pinch hit for classmate Joel Pérez. On a 1-2, the local product from Cardinal Mooney High would send Woodburn and Steinberg home to cut the lead to 9-8 still in favor of Santa Fe.
“I wanted to give Jake a chance to hit,” said Hill on sending Jackson to pinch hit. “I really like him, even though he hasn’t played a lot and the biggest problem is where to put him in the lineup and he was aware of that too, but I liked his bat with the blowing out the way it did from the left side for him and I was hoping for him to have a good at-bat off of a right-handed pitcher, so having that righty-lefty matchup fortunately worked out for us and it was a big at-bat, which was the whole key to the inning.”
After Ayers drew a walk to load the bases, Mitchell would helped the Manatees rally as he lined a double to right and sent Rodriguez and Jackson home to give the Manatees a 10-9 lead.
“I saw it was a curveball up and I knew since it was at the top of the zone, he (Shelnut) probably come down with a fastball,” said Mitchell on bringing in the go-ahead run. “I have trying to work away from the zone all day and I finally got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it.”
It did not end there for the Manatees as Fritz would add an RBI single to bring in Ayers to for an insurance run. Karstetter would add two more RBI to the score as he would hit a single to center to bring in Fritz and Mitchell before being called out at second.
“It was nice to see the guys hit the middle to the backside and I thought Karstetter’s single that helped extend the two-run lead to a four-run lead was really big,” said Hill on Karstetter. “So there were a lot of good things that happened in that inning and fortunately things went our way.”
The Manatees would soon be on the coattails of the Saints in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with back-to-back singles by Mitchell and sophomore Owen Ayers and. After sophomore AJ Fritz hit into a fielder’s choice, Anderson would draw a walk to load the bases for Karstetter. Despite grounding out, the product from IMG Academy would send Mitchell home to cut the deficit. This would be followed by a two-RBI triple by Woodburn to tie the game at 6-6.
At the top of the sixth, the Saints would regain the lead to 9-6, thanks to RBI singles by freshmen Nick Herndon and Tyler Shelnut.
In the bottom of the eighth, Hill’s words woke up the players from their slumber that began with a Woodburn lead-off walk. After Steinberg was hit by a pitch, Wiggs would send Shelnut to the mound to replace freshman Lance Bolton. It would be to no avail after Rodriguez hit a single to load the bases.
Hill decided to send freshman Jake Jackson to pinch hit for classmate Joel Pérez. On a 1-2, the local product from Cardinal Mooney High would send Woodburn and Steinberg home to cut the lead to 9-8 still in favor of Santa Fe.
“I wanted to give Jake a chance to hit,” said Hill on sending Jackson to pinch hit. “I really like him, even though he hasn’t played a lot and the biggest problem is where to put him in the lineup and he was aware of that too, but I liked his bat with the blowing out the way it did from the left side for him and I was hoping for him to have a good at-bat off of a right-handed pitcher, so having that righty-lefty matchup fortunately worked out for us and it was a big at-bat, which was the whole key to the inning.”
After Ayers drew a walk to load the bases, Mitchell would helped the Manatees rally as he lined a double to right and sent Rodriguez and Jackson home to give the Manatees a 10-9 lead.
“I saw it was a curveball up and I knew since it was at the top of the zone, he (Shelnut) probably come down with a fastball,” said Mitchell on bringing in the go-ahead run. “I have trying to work away from the zone all day and I finally got a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on it.”
It did not end there for the Manatees as Fritz would add an RBI single to bring in Ayers to for an insurance run. Karstetter would add two more RBI to the score as he would hit a single to center to bring in Fritz and Mitchell before being called out at second.
“It was nice to see the guys hit the middle to the backside and I thought Karstetter’s single that helped extend the two-run lead to a four-run lead was really big,” said Hill on Karstetter. “So there were a lot of good things that happened in that inning and fortunately things went our way.”
Hill would Steinberg to the mound to finish the game in success as the Manatees would earn their second win of the season.
Thurmond and Gross would earn no-decisions for their starts. Thurmond gave up four runs (two earned) on six hits, walking one batter and striking out two in four innings, while Gross in four and a third, gave up six runs on five hits whiel walking four and striking out three.
Freshman Dylan Vega would earn his first collegiate win after throwing a scoreless inning of relief with one walk and one strikeout.
Barrett gave up five runs (two earned) on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two innings of relief, while Steinberg and redshirt freshman Clay Callahan also threw one scoreless inning of relief each. Callahan added one strikeout, while Steinberg was 1-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored.
Shelnut would be dubbed with the loss after giving up five runs (four earned) on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts, while Bolton threw two innings, giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Shelnut was also 4-for-5 with an RBI.
Rodriguez would lead the path as he finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run, while Mitchell was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
"My approach in the batters box was try to hit the ball up the middle with a good swing,” said Rodriguez on his game.
Karstetter was 1-for-5 with a team-leading four RBI, while Woodburn (1-for-2, three walks) and Jackson (1-for-1) also added two RBI.
Ayers (1-for-4, one run scored and one walk), Fritz (1-for-4, one RBI, two runs scored and a walk) and Anderson (1-for-4, two runs scored) had the team’s remaining four hits.
Aside from Shelnut’s four-hit game, Phillips also had a multi-hit game as he was 2-for-5 with two RBI. Herndon was 1-for-3 with three RBI.
Up Next:
The Manatees will travel to Ocala as they face #18 College of Central Florida (6-1) Wednesday afternoon, February 3 at 2:30 pm.
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