Anderson’s Two Home Runs Spark Mercy Rule Win for SCF Baseball

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomores Daniel Batcher and Jack Anderson were the heroes for the night as the #15 SCF baseball team (24-9, 9-2 Suncoast) took another series in Suncoast Conference in merciless fashion as they shutout Hillsborough (8-17, 2-9 Suncoast) 10-0 in seven innings via mercy rule. With the win, the Manatees are now 42-19 against the Hawks.

“Obviously winning a series in conference is a big deal,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “It was a lopsided game on Wednesday and you just have to caution the guys that those runs don’t count for today and it’s 0-0 when you start every game and you want them to come out with their best effort. Hillsborough has got a good club and it just went our way again tonight, so the guys picked up where they left off swinging the bats. It’s great to get the series and to play well on our home field like we’ve been doing all well.”

“Daniel got it off to a good start on the mound and then we came in with the bats while adding some runs early,” said Anderson. “I think the feeling of the game was if we put them down a couple more runs, then we can close it out and that’s what we did tonight. It was a good team win.

Hill II sent Batcher to start game two, while HCC head coach Javi Miranda sent freshman Michael Schuler to counter.

After a scoreless first, the Manatees would draw on the scoreboard first as freshman Joel Perez sent an RBI double to left center to bring in Anderson to make it 1-0 SCF.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees decided to extend the lead. After a lead-off single by sophomore Owen Ayers, classmate Tucker Mitchell would send a double to left-center to bring in Ayers. Anderson would then increase it even further as the Northwestern transfer would send a two-run blast home run to right off the scoreboard for his third of the season to make it 4-0 SCF.

Defense continued to play a big factor as the Manatees got Batcher out of a runner situation at the top of the fourth. In the bottom half, the Manatees began the inning with sophomore Richard Rodriguez reaching first and advancing to second on a throwing error and Ayers and classmate Cameron Lee drawing back-to-back walks to load the bases for Mitchell, who would draw a bases-loaded walk to bring in Rodriguez. Anderson would then ground a double to left and bring in Ayers and Lee before Mitchell scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-0.

In the bottom of the sixth, Anderson continues his dominant offense as he lined another home run to right center to bring in Mitchell and make it 10-0 SCF. It was Anderson’s fourth of the season and second of the game.

From there, Batcher sealed the deal on the mound for the win and the series.

“It feels great getting the series,” said Anderson on winning the series. “I think that’s one of our goals going into every series to win the series if we can’t get the sweep, so getting back tied for first place in the Suncoast Conference was a good win.”

Batcher would earn his fifth win of the season after throwing a three-hit seven inning shutout with six walks and five strikeouts. He is now 5-2 on the season.

“I felt good out on the mound,” said Batcher on his game. “Even though I was battling with my wrist, I was making good pitches and throwing strikes while trying to stay as consistent as possible. If I have runners on base from walking guys, then I just try to make a good pitch, get a double play or pop up and the defense made plays.”

“Daniel worked around some trouble, but he made pitches when he had to,” said Hill on Batcher. “He competes and I know he looked forwards to pitching. He told me last night that he was hoping the game was still going to happen. Tonight he pitched with some conviction and while he did lose a little focus from the walks, he gathered himself and threw a complete game shutout.”

Schuler would earn his third loss of the season after giving up eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits with four walks and four strikeouts in four innings. He is now 2-3 on the year.

Freshman Justin Kenyon gave up two runs on two hits with three strikeouts in two innings.

Anderson finished with his best offensive game as he went 4-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI. In fact, it was his first multi-home run game in his career.

“I felt really good at the plate today,” said Anderson. “Just knowing I can get some runs on the board for the team to get us a good lead. It felt really good. It was a good day.”

“The wind was blowing straight in and it was a cooler night,” said Hill.  “We thought the cold weather would be over by now, but a front came through last night and kind of a windy day. Jack went backside tonight, one off the scoreboard and the other in right center. He’s got some pretty good man strength to get those two home runs. He had a great night.”

Mitchell finished behind Anderson going 2-for-3 with two RBI, three runs scored and a walk.

Perez (1-for-3, one RBI), Rodriguez (1-for-3, one run) and Ayers (1-for-3, one RBI and two runs) had the Manatees remaining three hits.

Freshmen Alex Aguila and Benji Gilbert and redshirt freshman Adrian Mella had the Hawks combined three hits.

Notes:

This was win #303 for Hill.

SCF is on a 20-game winning streak at home. It is the longest under the Hill II era. 

Other Suncoast Scores:

St. Pete (16-10, 6-5 Suncoast) were able to upset #17 Florida Southwestern State (25-9, 9-2 Suncoast) winning by a score 4-3 to tie their series.

Polk State (20-14, 6-5 Suncoast) defeated South Florida State College (11-21, 1-10 Suncoast) 8-5 to win the series.

 Suncoast Standings:

1. #17 FSW (25-9, 9-2)

2. #15 SCF (24-9, 9-2)

3. SPC (16-10, 6-5)

4. Polk State (20-14, 6-5)

5. HCC (8-17, 2-9)

6. SFSC (11-21, 1-10)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to complete their second sweep in conference play against HCC. Freshman Nick Consentino will be given the nod to start game three.

Gelorme’s Career-High on the Mound Leads SCF Baseball Over FSW

After snapping their 20-game winning streak at home and dropping one spot in the national rankings, the #16 SCF baseball team (25-10, 10-3 Suncoast) bounced back and pulled off a big rivalry win over #15 Florida Southwestern State (26-10, 10-3 Suncoast) 4-0 in game one of the three-game series. With the win, the Manatees are now 19-6 against the Buccaneers. Additionally, the Manatees are now tied for first place in the Suncoast Conference.

“FSW is a very good ball club,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “This is a big series since we’re both tied for first in the Suncoast. It’s nice to get the series started with a ‘W’. They’re well coached and have some very good players. I thought tonight was a pretty crisp game, obviously with us throwing the shutout is always nice. I thought their pitchers did a good job as well.”

Hill went with sending sophomore Matt Gelorme to the mound, while FSW head coach Ben Biziernsent went with sophomore Enrique Cotto to counter.

While he did give up a leadoff single at the top of the first, Gelorme was able to breeze through the first with three straight strikeouts.

While the first two innings went scoreless, the Manatees would get on the board first. After sophomore Cameron Lee hit a leadoff single before advancing to second on a balk and third on a throwing error, classmate Tucker Mitchell would hit a hard ground ball single to center and bring in Lee for the first run of the game. After freshman Kevin Karstetter hit a two-out single and classmate Brayden Woodburn drew a walk to load the bases, freshman Jake Jackson would send a hard ground ball single to center and bring in Mitchell and Karstetter for a 3-0 SCF lead.

“It felt good to have another quality at-bat and come through for the boys,” said Jackson on his hit. “At the end of the day, they (FSW) did not put up any runs because of Matt and David.”

After Anderson hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth, Biziern would make a change to the mound as he sent sophomore Robert Weigelnik to the mound where he would get out of the inning.

After throwing a leadoff walk, Hill decided to pull Gelorme and send sophomore David Barrett to the mound. With a big double play by freshman Joel Perez, Barrett was able to get out of the seventh with a fly out.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Manatees would extend their lead after sophomore Owen Ayers reached first and advanced to second on a fielding error, while Lee scored to make it.

From there, Barrett would be able to seal the deal with one final push and get the final groundout for the win.

Gelorme would go to 2-0 for the win after throwing six shutout innings, giving up three hits with three walks and a career-high 11 strikeouts.

“Anytime I go out on the mound, I know my defense has my back and that’s usually a good feeling,” said Gelorme. “When we get runs early, it makes my job a lot easier. All I have to do is get ahead of offensive hitters and strikeouts will come, but my job is to make them put the ball in play and I felt like I did that tonight and my defense really backed me up.”

“It’s a great feeling,” said Gelorme on his strikeout career-high. “I like to attribute that to getting ahead in the count early. If I can get the hitter down on two strikes and one ball or no balls, then it makes it a lot easier because I can waste pitches and get them to swing at something. If they don’t swing, then I’ll just back with a strike and hopefully get the miss.”

Barrett threw three shutout innings of relief for his second save of the season, giving up three hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

“It felt good to be back on the mound,” said Barrett. “Matt dominated the whole game and made it pretty easy going out there with the three-run lead and Jake (Jackson) comes in timely with his hitting when we need him.”

“Matt has been throwing really well for us,” said Hill on Gelorme. “He throws three pitches for strikes, he’s got good stuff and competes. He was the story of the game. I thought he was in control of the whole way. David came in and picked up where Matt left off and it was nice having the both of them do what they’re capable of doing while facing really good hitters on their part and they pitched really well.”

Cotto would be dubbed with his first loss of the season after giving up three runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts in four and a third. He is now 3-1 on the year.

Weigelnik gave up one unearned run with six walks and six strikeouts in three and two-thirds of relief.

Ayers, Mitchell, Anderson, Karstetter, Jackson and Lee each had one of the team’s six hits.

Sophomore Warnner Rincones was the only Buccaneer with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4. In fact, he was the only player out of both teams to have a multi-hit game.

Notes:

This was career win #304 for Hill as head coach for the Manatees.

Other Suncoast Scores:

Polk State (22-14, 8-5 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (16-12, 6-7 Suncoast) 14-4.

South Florida State College (12-22, 2-11 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (9-18, 3-10 Suncoast) 6-3.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #15 FSW (26-10, 10-3)

2. #17 SCF (25-10, 10-3)

3. Polk State (22-14, 8-6)

4. SPC (16-12, 6-7)

5. HCC (9-18, 3-10)

6. SFSC (12-22, 2-11)

Up Next:

The Manatees will travel to Fort Myers for the second game against FSW Wednesday afternoon, March 24 at 3 pm. Sophomore Tony Rossi will be given the nod to start the game.

Lee’s Return Helps SCF Baseball Mercy Win

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Cameron Lee’s big return to the lineup sparked a strong offense as the #15 SCF baseball team (23-9, 8-2 Suncoast) were able to take their game to another level as they defeated Hillsborough (8-16, 2-8 Suncoast) 21-4 in seven innings. With the win, the Manatees are now 41-19 against the Hawks (2012-Present).

“It’s nice to start off the three-game series with a convincing win,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “I thougt the guys played well. Obviously we swung the bat really well, but we played really good defense.”

Hill sent sophomore Tony Rossi to the mound to start game one, while HCC head coach Javi Miranda sent freshman Mathew Peters to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Hawks would get on the board first at the top of the second. Freshman Hunter Fitz-Gerald would hit a lead-off home run for his fourth of the season. The Hawks would then score on a wild pitch before freshman Alex Aguila hit an RBI single to make it 3-0 HCC.

While they were down, the Manatees would respond back in the bottom of the second. After freshmen Brayden Woodburn and Joel Perez hit back-to-back singles to start the inning, sophomore Richard Rodriguez would send a double to right and bring in Woodburn and Perez to cut the Hawks lead to 3-2. While Rodriguez remained on second, the long awaited season debut for Lee was imminent as the native of Frankfort, Illinois lined a two-run homer to left center on the first pitch in his first at-bat to give the Manatees a 4-3 lead.

“I was ecstatic to be out there but I was also jittery and nervous at the same time,” said Lee on his return. “After hitting that home run, everything fell into place.”

“The wind was blowing out and that definitely helped out a little bit,” said Lee on his home run. “It gave me a little bit of a confidence booster, but I was shocked. It felt amazing and couldn’t believe I made contact with the ball and hit it out.”

The Hawks would then tie the game at 4-4 after a sacrifice fly by freshman Miguel Larreal. This only sparked a bigger for the Manatees in the bottom of the fourth. After Lee and sophomore Owen Ayers drew back-to-back walks, Miranda would make a change to the mound and send redshirt freshman Brayden Lloyd to the mound.

After the pitching change, sophomore Tucker Mitchell would send a three-run homer to left-center for his second of the season to give the Manatees a 7-4 SCF lead. After freshman Jake Jackson reached on a error, sophomore Jack Anderson would send Jackson home with an RBI double. Freshman Kevin Karstetter would then draw a walk and advance to second on a passed ball before Woodburn hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Anderson and Karstter to make it 10-4 SCF before the inning ended.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees continued their offensive dominance. After Mitchell lead-off the inning with a single, before Jackson drew a walk and Anderson reached on a fielding error to load the bases, Karstetter would send a single to left and bring in Mitchell. Jackson would then score on a wild pitch before Woodburn sent Anderson home with a single to make it 13-4 SCF. Perez would then hit an RBI single and bring in Karstetter before the end of the fifth.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would finish their offensive game with a final seven-run inning. After Mitchell drew a lead-off walk and Jackson hit single, Anderson would reach base after a drop third strikeout while Mitchell scored from third. Karstetter would then bring in Jackson with a double before freshman Charlie Davidson hit an RBI groundout to bring in Anderson. After Perez drew a walk and sophomore Jacob Steinberg was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Lee would send a single to right and bring in Karstetter.

After another pitching change, Ayers would send a pop single to right and bring in Perez. The Manatees batted around in the lineup as Mitchell drew a bases-loaded walk and brought in Steinberg for the 20th run of the game. Lee would then score on a wild pitch to make it 21-4 SCF before sophomore Jakob Mattos finished the game at the top of the seventh to seal the win for the Manatees.

“It was a big win and we definitely needed it so we can try and get the sweep,” said Lee on the win.

“It’s always good to get a mercy rule game in effect in seven innings,” said Karstetter. “It saves our guys’ arms and position players legs. HCC is a good opponent and they can swing the bats. It’s not a rollover matchup and I know their record isn’t great, but they can definitely swing it.”

Rossi would earn the win after giving up four runs on seven hits, while walking four and striking out six in six innings. He is now 3-2 on the season.

“Tony really picked it up and threw some shutout innings after the offense scored” said Hill on Rossi.

Mattos gave up two hits in one scoreless inning of relief.

Mathews would be dubbed with his first loss of the season after giving up six runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts in three innings.

All nine players in the starting lineup had at least one hit in the game. Lee and Perez lead the Manatees in the hitting column as they both went 3-for-4. Lee added three runs scored and three RBI, which included the home run, while Perez added one RBI and two runs scored.

“It was great to get Cam back in the lineup,” said Hill on Lee’s return. “He’s a very good player and I thought was one of the best players this past fall until the injury got him. It was great to see is game tonight.”

Mitchell lead the overal offense as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two walks.

“I had a rough two first at-bats,” said Mitchell on his game. “But I stayed positive and was able to turn it around for the remaining four at-bats and ended with a good game at the play.”

“Tucker is one of our best players and one of the hardest workers,” said Hill on Mitchell. “He’s been very consistent for us all season and came up big with that three-run homer to give us some cushion.”

Rodriguez (2-for-4, two RBI, one run), Anderson (2-for-6, two RBI, three runs), Jackson (2-for-4, three runs, one walk), Karstetter (2-for-4, two RBI, three runs, one walk) and Woodburn (2-for-3, three RBI) each had two hits. Ayers was 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run and two walks.

"It always nice to get some RBI and that’s good because we have a deep lineup,” said Karstetter. “When guys get on base, it gives me an opportunity to try and drive them in and we all did that tonight.”

Notes:
This was win #302 for Hill II

This was the third time the Manatees scored 20 or more runs.

“You don’t really expect that,” said Hill on scoring 20+ runs. “Doing it three times already this season is something you don’t see very much. We have some hitters who work very hard and it’s nice to see them having success. We are using the whole field and not just the pull side and we’re having good at-bats when we get two strikes.”

Freshman Benji Gilbert lead the Hawks’ hitting game as he went 3-for-4, while Fitz-Gerald was 2-for-4 with a home run. Both were the only Hawks with a multi-hit game.

Other Suncoast Scores:
#17 Florida Southwestern State (25-8, 9-1 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (15-10, 5-5 Suncoast) 18-2 in seven innings.

Polk State (19-14, 5-5 Suncoast) defeated South Florida State College (11-20, 1-9 Suncoast) 12-1 in eight innings.

Suncoast Standings:
1. #17 FSW (25-8, 9-1)

2. #15 SCF (23-9, 8-2)

3. SPC (15-10, 5-5)

4. Polk State (19-14, 5-5)

5. HCC (8-16, 2-8)

6. SFSC (11-20, 1-9)

Up Next:
The Manatees remain at home against HCC with game two Friday night, March 19 at 6 pm. Sophomore Daniel Batcher will be given the nod to start.

SCF Softball Takes Game One at Polk State

The SCF softball team (8-10-1, 1-2 Suncoast) were able to secure their first conference win in over a year as they defeated Polk state (2-9, 2-1 Suncoast) 1-0 in game one. The second game was suspended due to the rain with the score tied at 2-2 at the top of the fourth. A makeup day for the second game will be resumed at a late day.

Head coach Mandy Schuerman sent sophomore Ally Hulme to the mound while Polk head coach Donna Byars sent sophomore Sofia Palazini to counter.

For the first three innings, it was a pitcher’s dual between Hulme and Palazini as they both exchanged giving up hits and striking out their opponents.

Eventually at the top of the fourth, the Manatees would get Palazini to buckle as sophomore Samantha Hampton sent an RBI double to left to bring in classmate Emily Hughes to make it 1-0 SCF.

In the end of the first game, Hulme was able to put her game in gear and seal the deal for the Manatees first conference win of the 2021 season.

Hulme would earn the win after throwing a three-hit shutout with four walks and four strikeouts. She is now 6-3 on the year.

Palazini would be dubbed with first loss after giving up one run on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in five innings. Sophomore Karie Abel threw one scoreless inning, giving up one hit with one walk and one strikeout.

Hampton, Hughes, sophomores Lauren Hutcherson and Madi Schaefer and freshman Mya Achenbach and Gracie Mullett each had one of the Manatees six hits.

Up Next:

The Manatees return home for another Suncoast Conference series doubleheader as they welcome #3 Florida Southwestern State (22-3, 3-0 Suncoast) to the SCF Softball Complex Tuesday night, March 23 at 5 and 7 pm.

SCF SB Readies for Conference Opener

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF softball team (7-8-1) will turn their sights to their Suncoast Conference opener as they welcome St. Pete College (14-10) to the SCF Softball Complex Tuesday night, March 16 at 5 and 7 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees have not competed since the two-day Courtney Miller Invitational (2/20-21). During the invitational, the Manatees finished 3-1, spliting day one by winning game one against Tallahassee (8-2) and losing game to St. John’s River State (7-5) before sweeping day two by upsetting then #2 Indian River State (now #9) (5-2) and defeating Chipola (6-2).

Initially, the Manatees were supposed to face Santa Fe College in two doubleheaders at home and on the road, but was cancelled due to a positive reading of COVID-19 on their campus. They then tried to set up a alternative series against Pasco-Hernando State as a last minute change, but was to be cancelled due to the conditions of PHSC’s field.

Sophomore Lauren Hutcherson is currently leading the path for the Manatees as she is batting .370 with four home runs and 14 RBI. Inc fact, Hutcherson is the only Manatee with more than 10 RBI. At the invitational, the Lake City native was 8-for-15 with a home run and three RBI.

Classmates Maddie Koczersut, Emily Hughes and Kristin Kopp have also played big roles in the Manatees offense. Koczersut is batting .326 with three home runs and seven RBI, while Hughes is batting .302 with a home run, nine RBI and six stolen bases and Kopp is batting .262 with a home run, eight RBI and five stolen bases.

On the mound, sophomore Ally Hulme and freshman Remi Herbert lead the path.

Hulme is currently 5-3 with a 3.28 ERA and 56 strikeouts (ranks tied for #22 in the nation). Hulme pitched in three of the four games in the invitational where she went 2-0 in 11.1 innings with 17 strikeouts.

Hebert is currently 2-1 with a 5.49 ERA and 21 strikeouts while batting .152 with two RBI. Hebert’s monumental game was the upset win against Indian River State where she threw a complete game with five strikeouts.

Welcome Back Fans:

The SCF athletics department made the decision to allow fans in attendance since it is an outdoor event. SCF students (including student-athletes) and faculty are the only ones allowed entry and only 20 can be in attendance.

Students and staff must provide an SCF ID and arrive no less than five minutes before game, must wear a mask upon entry and social distance in adherence with the CDC guidelines.

Fans that are not a current student or faculty member at SCF are not allowed entry.

In order to attend, SCF students and faculty must signup online to do so.

After the game, all fans must leave the stadium immediately.

Scouting SPC:

The Titans are coming off of being swept by Santa Fe College on the road losing by scores of 6-0 and 3-2.

Freshman Jade Frank leads the team batting .364 with three home runs and 15 RBI.

Sophomore Mya Plant leads the team with 30 hits while batting a .417 with 15 RBI.

On the mound, freshman Shelby Jones is currently 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA and 30 strikeouts while classmate Faith Bruce leads the team with 45 strikeouts while going 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA.

Series History (2012-present):

Overall, the Manatees are 18-11 against the Titans. Last time both teams played was in 2019 where the Manatees swept the Titans winning all four games of the season.

Livestats Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2021/state-college-of-florida-softball-21-6006ca24bda13e877e4f03dd

SCF Sports Network Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

Signup Link: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0945acac2eabf94-316

SCF Baseball Opens Next Series vs HCC

Bradenton, Fla - After another successful series in Suncoast Conference play, the #15 SCF baseball team (22-9, 7-2 Suncoast) will host their next three-game series at Robert C. Wynn Field against Hillsborough (8-15, 2-7). Games one (Wednesday night, March 17) and two (Friday night, March 19) will start at 6 pm, while game three (Friday afternoon, March 20) will start at 1 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of winning their third straight series in Suncoast play against St. Pete College. They would lose game one by a score of 8-1 at SPC and winning game two 23-13 in seven innings at home before winning game three 4-1 at SPC.

The Sarasota KO Punch:

The duo of sophomore Owen Ayers and freshman Harrison Long have been two of the key benefactors for the Manatees offense.

Ayers is currently batting .333 with a team-leading five home runs and 24 RBI. In the series against St. Pete, he was 5-for-13 with a home run and four RBI.

Despite battling a hip injury, Long is batting .318 with four home runs and 22 RBI. He was 2-for-6 against St. Pete.

PR Pride:

Two big names that have been putting their foots in the door are the duo of freshman Joel Perez and Richard Rodriguez.

Perez is currently batting .363 with four RBI. Against SPC, he was 6-for-10 with three RBI.

Rodriguez is batting .241 with a home run, 13 RBI and six stolen bases. Against SPC, he batted 4-for-8 with one RBI.

Start Your Engines:

Freshman Kevin Karstetter has provided a spark when it comes to getting RBI. Karstetter is currently batting .305 with two home runs and a team-leading 32 RBI. Against SPC, Karstetter went 6-for-13 with five RBI, which included hitting the game-winner in game two of the series.

Powerhouse Pack:

Sophomores Jack Anderson and Tucker Mitchell continue to add their power to the Manatees offense.

Anderson is batting .327 with two home runs and 20 RBI. Anderson finished 4-for-12 with two RBI.

Mitchell is currently batting .360 with a home run and 23 RBI. The upcoming NC State transfer was 3-for-13 with four RBI against SPC.

Power Arms:

Sophomore Daniel Batcher and Cole Ayers are the big arms for the Manatees.

Although he lost in the opening series against SPC, Batcher is currently 4-2 with a 2.95 ERA and 40 strikeouts.

Ayers, who is just returning to the lineup after battling bicep tendinitis is currently 2-0 with a 5.50 ERA and 21 strikeouts. In his last appearance, the upcoming transfer for the University of Cincinnati threw five innings against Polk State with four strikeouts.

Wild Things:

From the other pitchers, sophomores Matt Gelorme, David Barrett, Jakob Mattos and Clay Callan and freshmen Eli Thurmond and Nick Consentino played key roles on the mound.

Gelorme had one of his best outings in the series finale against SPC as he threw six and a third scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in his first collegiate win in his career. He is currently 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA, one save and 32 strikeouts.

Although he had a hiccup in a loss to Polk State, Barrett is still 3-2 with a 3.55 ERA, one save and 36 strikeouts.

Bouncing around as a starter and relief pitcher, Mattos is currently 1-0 with a 6.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts. In his last appearance, Mattos threw a scoreless inning in the loss against Polk State.

A second veteran in relief, Callan is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA, one save and 16 strikeouts.

Thurmond leans towards being the closer for the Manatees. Currently, he is 3-1 with a 2.87 ERA, three save and 26 strikeouts.

Consentino is currently 1-0 with a 5.12 ERA, one save and 21 strikeouts.

Welcome Back Fans:

The SCF Athletics Department made the decision to let fans be in attendance on a limited basis for the baseball and softball games since they are outdoors. The only ones allowed to attend the games are students (including other student-athletes) and faculty members, but the temporary maximum of attendance is 20 people. 

Students and staff that attend must arrive no less than five minutes before the game time, present their SCF ID for entry, must wear a mask and social distance in adherence to the CDC guidelines.

Professional (MLB or any professional baseball team) and collegiate scouts are allowed to attend, but also must wear a mask and social distance upon entry

Fans that are neither a student nor faculty member of SCF are not allowed to attend.

In order to attend, students and faculty members must signup online no later than the night before the game at 11:59 pm. At midnight, the signup will be closed.

*Link below

Scouting HCC:

The Hawks are coming off of losing a series to Polk State. They would lose game one 7-4 and win game two 5-4 before losing game three 6-5 in the rubber match.

Redshirt freshman Alex Cordero leads the Hawks offensively as he is batting .333 with a team-leading eight home runs and 20 RBI.

On the mound, freshman Michael Schuler is 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA and 30 strikeouts.

Series History (2012-present):

Overall the Manatees are 40-19 against the Hawks. While they haven’t played each other in over a year due to COVID-19, last time both teams met, they split the series 3-3 during the season before the Manatees took the finale in a qualification game for a spot in the 2019 FCSAA State Tournament. 

How to Keep Up:

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and will air on the SCF Sports Network.

Fans can also keep up with both teams on Twitter

SCF: @SCFBaseball

HCC: @BaseballHCC

Signup Link: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0945acac2eabf94-317

GameChanger Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2021/state-college-of-florida-baseball-21-6006c9046d2f825a1c98e005

SCF Sports Network Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

SCF Baseball Takes Series Over SPC

The #15 SCF baseball team (22-9, 7-2 Suncoast) were able to pull away with their third Suncoast Conference series in success as they defeated St. Pete College (15-9, 5-4 Suncoast) 4-1 in the rubber game. With the win, the Manatees are now 34-13 against the Titans and will face them in a second three-game series in April.

“It was nice to win the series against a very good St. Pete team,” said head coach Tim Hill II.  “The biggest difference from tonight compared to the first two games was we got on top early. I thought we had a chance to get more runs earlier in the game, but we had some good at-bats where we hit some balls right at people.”

Head Coach Tim Hill II sent sophomore Matt Gelorme to the mound, while SPC head coach Ryan Beckman sent sophomore Chris Brucks to counter.

At the top of the first, the Manatees would open the flood gates first. After sophomore Tucker Mitchell was hit by a pitch before freshman Jake Jackson hit a single, sophomore Jack Anderson would send a double to center and bring Mitchell and Jackson home for a 2-0 SCF lead.

At the top of the third, the Manatees extended their lead to 3-0 thanks to a RBI single by freshman Brayden Woodburn that brought in classmate Kevin Karstetter.

At the top of the fourth, the Manatees kept pushing their score up. After back-to-back singles by freshman Joel Perez and sophomore Richard Rodriguez, classmate Owen Ayers would send a hard single of his own to right and bring in Perez for a 4-0 SCF lead.

Meanwhile on the mound, Gelorme was setting his sight on his first win of the season. In the bottom half of the fourth, despite giving up a lead-off single, the product of Lakewood Ranch was able to strikeout three straight batters to get out of the inning.

While the Manatees’ bat were quite for the next two innings, Gelorme’a arm was not as he was able to fight through it with a few strikeouts.

In the bottom of the seventh, Gelorme was getting tired after over 90 pitches. After putting two runners on base with one out, Hill decided to pull him out and send freshman Eli Thurmond to the mound. While Thurmond did get into a jam with runners into a scoring, the product of Bradenton Christian was able to get the remaining two outs of the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Titans would finally get their first run on the board off of a solo home run by sophomore Christian Rivera for his fourth home run of the season. While Thurmond did get into another jam with runners on the bases, he was able to seal the deal and strike out freshman Justin Turk to give the Manatees the win.

“We played one of our best games of the season tonight,” said Gelorme on the win. “Anytime the hitters can get us out to an early lead, it makes the game a lot smoother. The defense was perfect tonight and as a pitcher that’s all you can ask for.”

“It feels great to claiming the series against SPC,” said Perez. “I knew it was going to be a dog fight.”

Gelorme would earn the his first collegiate win in his career after throwing six and a third scoreless innings, giving up five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts.

”This may be my first win in my collegiate career, but I don’t really look at those kinds of things,” said Gelorme on his first win. “If I go out there and do my job, then I know my team will have my back and get the win and tonight we did just that.”

I was happy to see Matt (Gelorme) throw well again,” said Hill on Gelorme’s first win. “He has pitched well for us this year and had a very good outing tonight. He was in control the whole game.”

Thurmond earned his third save of the season after throwing two and two-thirds innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.

Brucks would earn the loss after giving up all four runs on 10 hits with one strikeout. He is now 1-1 on the season.

Perez lead the team in hitting as he went 3-for-4 with a run. He finished the series 6-for-10 with three RBI.

“My mindset at the plate was trying to keep it simple and battle,” said Perez on his game. “I wanted them to know that I owned the plate.”

Rodriguez (2-for-4), Ayers (2-for-5, one RBI) and Karstetter (2-for-4, one run scored) each had two hits.

“Richard and Joel gave us a spark at the bottom of our lineup,” said Hill II on Rodriguez and Perez. “Joel has been playing well the last several games and plays with a lot of energy. Richard is starting to hit the ball to the opposite field which is giving him more success.”

Anderson want the only Manatee with a multi-RBI game as he went 1-for-4 with two RBI, Jackson (1-for-5, one run) and Woodburn (1-for-3, one RBI and one walk) had the remaining two hits.

Freshman Gabriel Rincones was 3-for-4, while Rivera was 2-for-4 with the lone home run.

Notes: This was win #301 for Hill.

Other Suncoast Scores:

Polk State (18-14, 4-5 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (8-15, 2-7 Suncoast) 6-5 to claim the series.

#17 Florida Southwestern State (24-8, 8-1 Suncoast) defeated South Florida State College (11-19, 1-8 Suncoast) 14-12 to sweep the series.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #17 FSW (24-8, 9-1)

2. #15 SCF (22-9, 7-2)

3. SPC (15-9, 5-4)

4. Polk State (18-14, 4-5)

5. HCC (8-15, 2-7)

6. SFSC (11-19, 1-8)

Up Next:

The Manatees will be back at home for a three- game series Suncoast play as they welcome Hillsborough to Robert C. Wynn Field. All three games will be at Wynn Field Wednesday night, March 17 at 6 pm, Friday night, March 19 at 6 pm and Saturday afternoon, March 20 at 1 pm.

Sophomore Tony Rossi will pitch game one, while classmate Daniel Batcher will pitch game two and freshmen Nick Consentino pitch in game three.

SCF Volleyball Closes Suncoast Play

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF volleyball team (4-18, 2-6 Suncoast) were able to close out Suncoast Conference play on a good note as they pulled off a big fifth set comeback and defeated St. Pete College (0-9, 0-8 Suncoast) 3-2 (25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 22-25, 16-14).

“I think had we just come out and stayed on top the entire time, it would not have been productive as what happened tonight,” said head coach Lynn Burnett. “Tonight, this team, more specifically this upcoming group of freshmen, soon to be sophomores, learned that they can turn a match around even when it looks like it’s impossible and can actually make up a difference of six to eight points and close out a match or a set, get creative, stay positive and stay together. For me, it feels amazing, but it feels more so amazing because we did it from comeback position and we needed that.”

“Overall we finished in the end,” said freshman Guilia Rodrigues. “I don’t think that we did the best that we could have and felt we let down a little bit and lost the energy, which was sometimes very negative, but I’m glad that some people pushed it off and decided they realize that we need to do the best that we can and play our game because it’s our house and we have the ability to beat SPC because we beat them before, so I’m glad we were able to do so tonight.”

“I think the for the first set, SPC set it up for us,” said freshman Kaylee Forman. “I think Gracee did a really great job in that first set and I thought our blocking game came on in the end when we started running bigger plays that they couldn’t pick up. I had really good faith in Jazmin and Leilani running the quick balls.”

Set one was no problem for the Manatees as they were able to take advantage of a Titans serving error.

After the Titans claimed the second set, sophomore Leilani Wilcox-Nanai was able to seal it with a kill to the left side. The Titans, however, did not want to go without a fight as they were able to take the fourth and send to a fifth.

While Titans took a 11-3 lead, the Manatees started to fight back and eventually tied the set at 14-14. Two straight attack errors from the Titans were costly to them as the Manatees pulled away with the win.

Four players had double digit kills, while three players ended up with a double-double. 

It was sophomore Lisa Jaunet that lead the way with a double-double 16 kills and 11 digs to go along with three aces and two blocks. Wilcox-Nanai was one dig shy of a double-double followed with 14 kills, one ace and nine digs.

Sophomore Bailey Sikkema added a double-double of her own with 13 kills and a career-high 18 digs, one ace and one block, while classmate Jazmin Spencer rounded out the order with a career-high 10 kills, five digs and two aces.

Forman (41 assists) and sophomore Gracee Carpino (11 assists) had a combined 52 assists. Forman was also the third Manatee with a double-double as she added 16 digs, one kill and one ace, while Carpino added four digs and a block.

“I think I did a good job mixing up the plays and working even when the pass is off running the quicker balls,” said Forman on her game. “I also thought I had very consistent serves throughout the game.”

“Gracee and Kaylee work really well together,” said Burnett on her setters. “We have spent this entire fall practice and competition season switching back-and-forth between the two of them, sometimes running a 6-2 or 5-1 and sometimes switching out a setter in the 5-1 position halfway through the set. Just like hitters have hot hands, your setters can have hot hands too, so I can usually pick it out before we even step foot and the first whistle blows who is going to be the hot hand tonight. Tonight was no difference, I knew it when Kaylee and Gracee were even just running the routes and working on their footwork and I could tell Kaylee was going to be the hotter hand tonight, but mad props for Gracee because she did a great job and has done a great job this entire season.”

“This match just happened to be Gracee needing to set the stage and then sit back and encourage Kaylee and her volleyball IQ is tremendous and so even when she’s not on the court, she’s still an asset in the huddles and I appreciate that about her.”

Rodrigues lead the way defensively with 25 kills and five assists.

“I think I played a good game,” said Rodrigues on her game. “I think that it’s very hard when you execute as a player that plays defense and sometimes it’s like the lack of effort for other players, so I feel overall that we started to realize that everything was there and just needed to be executed a little bit better. For me, I’m glad that I did my job and my role trying to communicate with my hitters while calling for anything that I could reach, so I’m proud of myself and the result we won the last conference match.”

Rodrigues returned to the lineup after missing the last two matchups due to a finger injury.

“It’s kind of hard with my hand and I can’t receive the ball properly because of it,” said Rodrigues on her return. “I feel like this is given me a better skill because its making me read the ball a little bit better, push back and take the ball with my platform. It was hard at first, but I got the hang of it. I love playing and I still try to do the best I can and push through it.”

“I’m a huge fan of Guilia,” said Burnette on Rodrigues. “She has a very calming presence and is very consistent. She did phenomenal. I’m proud to have her back and was a part of this tonight. She needed to be a part of this tonight from a confidence standpoint, from a experience standpoint and being to run the defense and backrow. SPC is a scrappy team and there was a lot of stuff that she had to pick up and make sure that her and her team were reading it and she did it well.”

Freshmen Adelene Jideofor (six kills and four blocks), Jadyn Wallen (four kills and five digs) and Jennifer Rivera (11 digs)  also contributed in the match.

Notes: 

With her 25 digs, Rodrigues was placed in the FCSAA 25 Dig Club for the second time this season.

Final Suncoast Standings:

1. FSW (16-4, 8-0)

2. Polk State (7-3, 6-2)

3. HCC (9-12, 4-4)

4. SCF (4-18, 2-6)

5. SPC (0-9, 0-8)

Up Next:

While Suncoast Conference play has officially ended, the season is not over for the Manatees as they have two final non-conference matchups. They will first travel to Avon Park to take on South Florida State College (7-4, 4-2 Sun Lakes) Tuesday night, March 16 at 6 pm before return to Hal Chasey Gymnasium to take on #1 national ranked Miami Dade (17-0, 9-0 Southern) Saturday, March 20 at noon.

Hill Earns 300th Win With SCF Baseball

Bradenton, Fla - History was made for a soaked head coach Tim Hill II at Robert C. Wynn Field as the #11 SCF baseball team (21-9, 6-2 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (15-8, 5-3 Suncoast) 23-13 in seven innings. With the win, the Manatees tied the series and are now 33-13 against the Titans.

“Brayden Woodburn said it best when he was on third base last inning and said ‘Coach, this is the craziest game I have ever been in’, said Hill II. I’ve been plenty of crazy games and it didn’t look good for us for a while, but we didn’t play very well defensively and our pitching wasn’t sharp as it usually was, but the guys kept battling, kept swinging the bats with 14 runs in seventh, which is something you don’t expect and that’s one of those things that appears once in a long time, so I’m glad we were on the winning side of it.”

“It was a rough start and a rough game,” said sophomore Tucker Mitchell. “We knew that we would have to fight throughout it all and we tried as a group to just stay positive and get our pitchers backs and keep swinging.”

“It was a great game,” said freshman Kevin Karstetter. “We battled the whole game, made some mistakes, but we dug ourselves out of it and piled up some runs late and that’s the type of team we are hitting and hopefully keep it going.”

“Overall, we battled the whole game,” said freshman Joel Pérez. “We had a lot of hits, scored 23 runs to end the game with a bang. It was a group effort and the guys did a great job.”

Hill sent freshman Nick Consentino to the mound, while SPC head coach Ryan Beckman sent sophomore Ivan Martinez to counter.

The Titans would score 3-0 in the first two innings while hold the Manatees scoreless in the first. In the bottom of the second, the Manatees’ bats would respond begin with a leadoff single by sophomore Jack Anderson. One batter later, freshman Brayden Woodburn would double before sophomore Jacob Steinberg sent a infield single and bring in Anderson for the Manatees first run of the game. After Pérez hit a single to load the bases, sophomore Owen Ayers would draw a walk and bring Woodburn home to cut SPC’s lead to 3-2.

At the top of the fourth, the Titans would extend their lead to 5-2 after a two-RBI double by sophomore Justin Turk, but the Manatees decided to respond again in the bottom half of the inning. After Steinberg drew a leadoff walk, freshman Charlie Davidson would send a double to left and bring in Steinberg. Ayers would soon tie the game with a two-run homer to right for his fifth of the season. After Mitchell hit a single and advanced on fielding error, freshman Jake Jackson would groundout and send Mitchell home to give the Manatees a 6-5 lead.

St. Pete would then regain their lead and make it 8-6 in their favor at the fifth before the Manatees regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth beginning with Pérez getting hit by a pitch to leadoff. After Ayers hit a single, Mitchell would hit into a fielder’s choice and bring in Perez to cut the deficit to 8-7. After Anderson hit a double, Karstetter would send Mitchell and Anderson home to give the Manatees a 9-8.

The Titans would not back down at the top of the seventh and regained the lead to 13-9 after sophomore Christian Rivera was a hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, freshman Chris Williams hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, freshman Carlos Castillo hit a two-RBI double before scoring on a wild pitch.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees energy would not back down as they were determined to get the win. Woodburn would open the bottom half by getting hit by a pitch. Sophomore Richard Rodriguez would then folllow with a single before being called out after classmate Rook Ellington hit into a fielder’s choice. Pérez would continue the Manatees rally as the Miramar native lined a single to left and bring in Woodburn. Ayers would then draw a walk to load the bases while Beckman made a pitching change. Mitchell would cut the deficit to one run with a bases-loaded double and bring in Ellington and Pérez before Jackson tied the game to 13-13 after an RBI single that brought in Ayers before leading to another Titan pitching change.

After Anderson drew a walk to load the bases, Karstter would send a single to left and bring in Mitchell to make it 14-13 SCF.

The Manatees batted around as Woodburn would single to right and bring in Jackson. Rodriguez would then hit a single to bring in Anderson before Ellington brought in Karstteter after drawing a bases-loaded walk. Pérez would then hit a bases-loaded two-RBI single and bring in Woodburn and Rodriguez before Ayers loaded the bases after reaching on a fielding error. Mitchell would send a sacrifice fly to center and bring in Ellington for the Manatees 20th run of the game before Jackson sent a single to center and bring in Pérez.

After Anderson drew a walk to load the bases once again, all eyes were turned to Karstetter to seal the deal. On an 0-2 count, the Pennsylvanian would send a hard single to left and bring in Ayers and Jackson and seal the 10-run mercy for the win.

“Driving in runs was it was all about,” said Karstetter on bringing in the the game-winning runs. “When you drive in runs, good things happen and you help your team. It happened to be a walk-off again and it was great to do so again.”

Consentino and Martinez earned no-decisions for the game. Consentino gave up five runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three and a third, while Martinez gave up four runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three innings.

Freshman Eli Thurmond would earn the win after throwing a third of a scoreless inning. Thurmond is now 3-1 on the season.

Freshman El Rico Riley was dubbed with his first loss after giving up eight runs (four earned) on six hits with three walks in a third of a innings of relief. He was also 3-for-4 with two RBI and two walks.

Karstetter was the leader of the game after going 4-for-6 with five RBI.

“Kevin has had a ton of RBIs this season and a bunch more today,” said Hill on Karstetter. “He’s a good player and I’m excited he’s with us.”

Anderson and Perez were both 3-for-4. Anderson added three runs and two walks, while Perez added three RBI.

“I just go out there and have fun,” said Perez on his game. “That’s what it’s all about. I enjoy playing with these guys and I do what I can to help the guys win.”

“While Joel hasn’t played as much as some of the other guys, but I tell him like I tell the others that I like this team and we got a lot more depth than we usually have and have to be ready to go,” said Hill on Pérez. “Joel is making the most of his opportunities, he plays with a lot of energy, which is why we signed him, and I like the energy he brings to the field and he did a nice job.”

Mitchell (2-for-5, four RBI, three runs), Ayers (2-for-4, three RBI, three runs, two walks), Jackson (2-for-6, three RBI, two runs scored), Woodburn (2-for-4, one RBI, three runs) and Rodriguez (2-for-2, one RBI, one run) each had two hits and at least one RBI. Jackson also threw a third of an inning of relief, giving up two runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout.

“I got outside myself the first two at-bats and then had a little with Donnie (Robinson) to figure out what I needed to do to go forward," said Mitchell. "It felt really good in my the last two at-bats to keep it going.”

“Tucker always does his thing at the plate and is one of the better hitters in the state,” said Hill on Mitchell.

Steinberg (1-for-2, one RBI, one run and one walk) and Davidson (1-for-3, one RBI and one run) had the remaining two hits.

Williams, Castillo and Turk each had two hits for the Titans.

Notes:

It was announced that Mitchell has committed to play for North Carolina State University in Raleigh

The 23 runs were the most scored under the Hill II era.

This was Hill II’s 300th career win as head coach for the Manatees

“When you coach long enough like I have, then you’ll start having games of recognition like that,” said Hill II on his 300th win. “I appreciate it all the guys making a big deal of it, which is great, but it’s about them and it means I’ve been coaching for a while, so it’s nice to be recognized for sure, but I follow two really good coaches here and I’m proud to be the coach at SCF and the team that I’m with right now.”

“It’s a great feeling,” said Mitchell on Hill’s 300th win. “We work so hard and play for each other so much and for coach Hill. We want him to succeed just as much as we want to succeed and getting him to that milestone is great and something we’ll remember for a while.”

Other Suncoast Scores:

#20 Florida Southwestern State (23-8, 7-1 Suncoast) defeated South Florida State College (11-18, 1-7 Suncoast) 7-0 to open their series.

Hillsborough (8-14, 2-6) defeated Polk State (17-4, 3-5) 5-4.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #20 FSW (23-8, 7-1)

2. #11 SCF (21-9, 6-2)

3. SPC (15-8, 5-3)

4. Polk State (17-14, 3-5)

5. HCC (8-14, 2-6)

6. SFSC (11-18, 1-7)

Up Next:

The Manatees will be looking to claim their third series as they head back to Clearwater Monday night, March 15 at 6 pm. Sophomore Matt Gelorme will be given the nod to start the game.

SCF Wins Series Over Polk State

Bradenton, Fla - The #11 SCF baseball team (20-8, 5-1 Suncoast) were able to claim the series rubber game over Polk State (16-13, 2-4 Suncoast) at Robert C. Wynn Field winning by a score of 2-1. With the win, the Manatees are now 35-24 against the Eagles.

“The guys went unbeaten at home and won the series today,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “It was a good ballgame, especially when you’re the one team that has two runs and not the one that has one, so for a 2-1 ballgame I thought both sides pitched good, but we got more timely hits than they did.”

Hill II sent sophomore Tony Rossi to the mound, while Polk State head coach Al Corbeil sent freshman Major Posey to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the second after an RBI groundout by freshman Jake Jackson brought in classmate Harrison Long.

At the top of the fourth, the Eagles would respond back and tie the game thanks to an RBI single by freshman Carter Geier to make it 1-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees regained the lead off of an RBI single by sophomore Rook Ellington that brought in freshman Joel Pérez to make it 2-1.

“This game was a grind,” said Ellington. “Our bats didn’t wake up until the fourth or fifth inning  and finally me and Joel got two back-to-back two-out hits and ended up taking on them. The pitchers best pitch all night was a curveball and a lot of our hitters were struggling with it. He had a big 1-1 count and I knew he was going to throw his best pitch, so I saw his curveball, guessed right and hit it.”

After Rossi threw a lead off walk at the top of the sixth, Hill II decided to pull him out and send Thurmond to the mound and he would breeze through the inning with ease.

Although the Manatees bats grew quiet, Thurmond’s pitching made the difference as the product of Bradenton Christian was able to seal the deal and strikeout the side in the ninth for a Manatee win.

Rossi would earn his second win of the season after giving up one run on one hit with five walks and six strikeouts in five innings. Rossi is now 2-2 this season.

Thurmond would get his second save of the season after throwing four scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts.

“This game was huge today,” said Thurmond. “Although the batters didn’t hit super well, they still grinded. Tony didn’t have his best stuff, but he’s a dog on the mound and grind it out. I was fortunate that I was able to come in and help him out, and the defense and offense helped me out and we ended up beating Polk.”

“I thought Tony and Eli dominated tonight against the hitters with a combined one-hitter,” said Hill on Rossi and Thurmond. “It’s very rare to see on our part and that shows our dominance and that was good to see.”

Posey would get the loss after giving up two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings. Posey would fall to 0-4 this season.

Freshman Ethan Steven’s threw one scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout.

Long, Pérez, Ellington and sophomores Tucker Mitchell and Owen Ayers had the Manatees combined five hits.

Geier had the only hit for the Eagles.

Notes:

This would be win #299 for coach Hill and is one shy of reaching 300 career wins as head coach.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#20 Florida Southwestern State (21-8, 5-1 Suncoast) swept the series over Hillsborough (7-13, 1-5 Suncoast) claiming the final two games by scores of 7-2 and 6-2.

South Florida State College (11-16, 1-5 Suncoast) were able to get their first win in the Suncoast as they defeated St. Pete (14-7, 4-2 Suncoast) 7-5.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #20 FSW (21-8, 5-1)

2. #11 SCF (20-8, 5-1)

3. SPC (14-7, 4-2)

4. Polk State (16-14, 2-4)

5. SFSC (11-16, 1-5)

6. HCC (7-13, 1-5)

Up Next:

The Manatees continue Suncoast Conference play with another series as they face St. Pete.

Hill has given sophomore Daniel Batcher the nod to start game one. For game two , Hill will likely lean on freshman Nick Consentino to start, but that’s likely to change. Sophomore Matt Gelorme will be given the nod for game three.

Ayers’ Return Brings Win for #13 SCF Baseball

Bradenton, Fla - The #13 SCF baseball team (19-7, 4-0 Suncoast) remained in good spirits after rescheduling their game with Polk State (15-12, 1-3 Suncoast) as the Manatees won 8-3 at Robert C. Wynn Field. With the win, the Manatees are now 34-23 against the Eagles. The game was rescheduled for Saturday after heavy rain.

“It’s nice to start off another series with a ‘W’ and the guys played pretty well on their home field” said head coach Tim Hill II. “It was a really windy, cooler day and to put eight runs up on a day like today was good to see. The big five run inning we had in the sixth was the difference in the game and the guys took control of the game from that inning.

“It feels really good to get the win over Polk State since they are our rival,” said freshman Jake Jackson. “I thought Cole really set the tone coming in and was shutting them down with the one run. It took the bats a couple of innings to get going, but we put up a nice five-run inning and Nick came in and shut the door.”

“I thought today was great,” said freshman Charlie Davidson. “It was definitely an emotional one for sure. We were battling back-and-forth for a while, but as it showed we came out on top and were the best team out there.”

Hill II sent sophomore Cole Ayers to the mound while Polk State head coach Al Corbeil sent freshman Scott Curran to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would get on the board first beginning with a lead off single by freshman Kevin Karstetter. After classmates Jake Jackson drew a walk and Brayden Woodburn reached on fielding error to load the bases, Davidson would send a single to center and bring in Karstteter for the first run of the game. While sophomore Richard Rodríguez grounded into a double play, Jackson would score to make it 2-0 SCF.

At the top of the third, Cole Ayers was put in a jam with a runner on third, but strong defense and a falling catch by Karstetter saved Ayers from giving up a run and keeping the Manatees 2-0 lead in the time being.

At the top of the fifth, the Eagles would get their first run on the board as freshman George Davis hit a sacrifice fly to cut the Manatees lead to 2-1. Cole Ayers was still able to get out of the inning to get the inning thanks to the defense.

After freshman Harrison Long drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth, Corbeil would pull Curran and send freshman Tyler Zylstra to the mound, however Corbeil would then get ejected by the home plate umpire after the substitution for arguing balls and strikes.

After sophomore Jack Anderson drew a walk, Jackson would send a hard ground ball single to right and bring in Long to make it 3-1 SCF.

Hill decided it was time to stop Cole Ayers and send freshman Nick Consentino to the mound to pitch the top of the sixth. Consentino was able strike out three batters.

In the bottom of sixth, the Manatees continued to extend their lead beginning with sophomore Richard Rodríguez hitting a lead-off single and stealing second. After sophomore Owen Ayers hit a single of his own before stealing second base, classmate Tucker Mitchell would send a single to right and bring in Rodríguez.

Long would then draw a walk to load the bases, Anderson would get hit by a pitch and bring in Owen Ayers for a 5-1 lead.

Karstetter would then send a sacrifice fly to right and bring in Mitchell. Jackson would then send a triple to right center and bring in Anderson and Long to make it 8-1 before being called out trying to stretch it into a inside-the-park home run.

At the top of the seventh, the Eagles would add their second run of the game from an RBI single by freshman Dakota Harris. They would add their third run on a RBI double by freshman Kyle Erickson, but it was all the Eagle could produce as Consentino would be able to finish off the rest of the game for the win.

Cole Ayers would earn the win after giving up one run on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings for his return. Ayers is now 2-0 on the season.
“I knew coming into this game after having three and a half weeks off it was going to be a tough game and I was ready to go out there and compete,” said Cole Ayers on his return. “It was great to be out on the mound to play with the guys and compete again.”
“It was great to have Cole back in the rotation,” said Hill on Cole Ayers’ return. “We were trying to be extra cautious with him because we needed him down the long run and he’s got a future and can make a career out of this, so we’re trying to take care of him and make sure that his tendinitis was all out of there. I thought he looked really good and didn’t miss a beat. He was on a pitch count, so we took him out because he looked tired in the last inning, but he stayed with his pitch count and I thought he did a really nice job.”
Consentino gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts in four innings of relief.
Curran earned the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in four and a third. He is now 3-2 on the year.
Zylstra gave up five runs on six hits with two walks in three and two-third innings of relief.

Jackson was the leader of the game as he finished 3-for-3 with three RBI and a walk.

“It feels really good,” said Jackson on his game. “I’ve been trying to stay consistent by getting hits and getting on base in any way to help the team win. It feels good to come out and perform the way I did and come back tomorrow and kick some butt.”

Owen Ayers was 2-for-4 with a run scored and two stolen bases.

Along with Davidson, Mitchell (1-for-5, one RBI, one run and one stolen base), Long (1-for-3, two runs and two walks), Karstetter (1-for-4, one RBI and one run) and Rodriguez (1-for-4, one run and one stolen base) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Eagles, freshman Jared Payne would be the only Eagle with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-2 with a run.

Notes:

This was win #298 for Hill and needs two for his 300th win as head coach.

The Manatees wore their yellow Lancer jerseys as a throwback for today’s game.

Davidson earned his first career start at home with the Manatees. He finished 1-for-4 with an RBI.

“It was definitely emotional,” said Davidson on his first home start. “Putting all this work in, the blood, sweat and tears and being out here to put this jersey on and going out there playing with some of my great friends and it was a blast.”

Other Suncoast Scores:

St. Pete College (13-6, 3-1 Suncoast) defeated South Florida State College (10-15, 0-4 Suncoast) 4-2.

#20 Florida Southwestern State (18-8, 2-1 Suncoast) suspended their game against Hillsborough (7-10, 1-2 Suncoast) Saturday afternoon despite being up 2-0. The game will resume Tuesday, March 9 at 2 pm.

Up Next:

The Manatees will travel to Winter Haven for game two against Polk State at Tyus Bing Field Monday night, March 8 at 6 pm.

Hill will give sophomore Matt Gelorme the nod to start game two.

#13 SCF Baseball Prepares for Polk State

Bradenton, Fla - After a strong start to Suncoast Conference play, the #13 SCF baseball team (18-7, 3-0 Suncoast) will go to the next three-game series of Suncoast Conference play as they face Polk State (15-11, 1-2 Suncoast). The Manatees will open game one at Robert C. Wynn Field Sunday afternoon, March 7 at 1 pm. Game two will take place at Bing Tyus Yard in Winter Haven Monday night, March 8 at 6 pm before returning to Wynn Field Wednesday night, March 10 at 6 pm.

Game one was originally scheduled to start at 1 pm on Saturday, March 6 at 1 pm but was pushed back due to the upcoming downfall of possible heavy rain.

Fans that are students (including student-athletes) and faculty will be allowed to attend all outdoor athletic events (baseball, softball, tennis and beach volleyball) for free, but must for the event five minutes before game time and must wear a mask and social distance (six feet). Professional baseball and college scouts are also allowed entry for recruitment.

Fans outside of SCF are still not allowed to attend.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off sweeping South Florida State College to open Suncoast Conference play winning by scores of 10-9, 7-2 and 10-0 (8).

Fresh Batch of Wins in the Oven:

Sophomore Daniel Batcher has been in a strong vibe his last four starts. Currently he is 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 36 strikeouts. In the final game against South Florida State, Batcher threw seven and a third scoreless innings with eight strikeouts.

Tuck it to Bed:

Sophomore Tucker Mitchell has been hitting a hot bat as of late. Mitchell is batting .387 with a home run and 18 RBI. Against South Florida State, he was 4-for-10 with a home run and six RBI. In fact, his lone home run so far was his first collegiate home run of his career and was the game winner to win game one of conferences play.

Jack Attack:

Like his classmate, sophomore Jack Anderson has also been hitting hot lately. Anderson is currently batting .337 with two home runs and 18 RBI. He was 4-for-13 with three RBI against South Florida State.

Wild Thing:

While he has yet to get his first start of his career, sophomore David Barrett has played a key role in relief. Barrett had one of his best outings in the opening conference game against South Florida State as he threw four and a third scoreless innings of relief with a career-high seven strikeouts. Currently he is 3-1 with a 3.98 ERA and 28 strikeouts.

Another wild card that has shown promise is freshman Jake Jackson. Jackson was 4-for-9 against South Florida State with one RBI. Currently he is batting .387 with a home run and 12 RBI.

1-2 Punch Returns:

Sophomore Owen Ayers and freshman Harrison Long recently returned to the top of the lineup after battling with injuries. Ayers is batting .345 with four home runs and 20 RBI, while Long is batting .319 with four home runs and 22 RBI. Ayers was 4-for-15 against South Florida State with two RBI, while Long was 3-for-12.

Back on the Mound:

Sophomore Cole Ayers is set to make his return to the mound for game one of the series against Polk State after battling a grueling arm injury. Ayers has not pitched since February 6. He is currently 1-0 with a 6.92 ERA and 17 strikeouts.

Scouting Polk State:

The Eagles are coming off of opening Suncoast Conference going 1-2 against #20 Florida Southwestern State. They would lose the first two games before upsetting FSW in game three winning by a score of 6-5.

Freshman Jack Duffy leads the Eagles offense batting .256 with three home runs, 18 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Classmate Dimerson Nuñez is batting .372 with 45 hits, eight RBI and 10 stolen bases.

Freshman Thomas Ireland is currently leading the pitchers with a 3-1 record, 2.54 ERA and 40 strikeouts.

Series History:

SCF is currently 32-23 against the Eagles. Last season, the Manatees swept Polk State as the final series before COVID-19 shut down the rest of the season.

GameChanger Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2021/state-college-of-florida-baseball-21-6006c9046d2f825a1c98e005

SCF Sports Network Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/

Sikkema and Jaunet Help SCF VB Get First Home Win in Split

Bradenton, Fla - it took a long while, but the SCF volleyball team (3-18, 1-6 Suncoast) split their tri-match at Hal Chasey Gymnasium losing match one to South Florida State College (6-3, 4-1 Sun Lakes) 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-15) before defeating Florida Gateway College (0-7, 0-4 Sun Lakes) 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-16). With the split, the Manatees are 11-3 against the Panthers and 3-0 against the Timberwolves.

“It was in hindsight,” said head coach Lynn Burnette. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play the match against Florida Gateway when we were supposed to in the beginning of the season. It’s matches like these that actually help infuse confidence into the players individually as well as a whole because you can run their plays well and can get into a rhythm and groove. It’s great to have as a prep for St. Pete next Tuesday before heading back on the road to face South Florida State.”

“Overall we’re pretty strong,” said sophomore Jazmin Spencer. “But it’s a matter of playing together and combining all of our strengths and I think that’s what helped us win the second match.”

“It felt really good today,” said sophomore Bailey Sikkema. “We’ve been putting in a lot of work over the season, so it’s nice to have a win, especially when it’s at home so we can defend it on our home turf. I think the girls fought for it, so it was well deserved.”

“The first match was tough and I couldn’t finish the sets,” said sophomore Lisa Jaunet. “But the second match, we decided to pick up the energy and start strong from the beginning and I think that helped us a lot really well.”

SCF vs SFSC:

Although the Manatees pulled ahead on the first two sets, including a strong first set, the Panthers were on the stronger side and were able to maintain the lead in all three sets.

Sophomores Lisa Jaunet lead the first match with 12 kills, six digs, one ace and one block. Classmate Bailey Sikkema followed with nine kills, two digs and a block.

Sophomore Gracee Carpino lead the way with 33 assists, one kill, eight digs and three aces.

Defensively, freshman Jennifer Rivera, who earned her first start of the season, finished with 15 digs and one kill.

Freshmen Adelene Jideofor (six kills, three digs and two blocks), Abby Hutchinson (one kill and two digs) and Jaydn Wallen (one kill and two digs), Spencer (two kills, one ace and three digs) and sophomore Leilani Wilcox-Nanai (two kills, nine digs and one ace) also contributed in the match.

SCF vs Gateway:

For match two, it was Jaunet and Sikkema that lead the way with 15 and 14 kills respectively. Jaunet added a career-high eight aces, eight digs and one assist, while Sikkema added five digs. Jaunet finished with 27 kills in both matches.

“I had the mentality to go out there to play my game and play hard,” said Sikkema on her game. “I just killed it in every opportunity that I had and my goal is just not let the other team touch the balls when I hit them. In the end, I finished strong.”

“I was glad because in the first match my hitting was on-point, but my passing was not,” said Jaunet on her game. “My goal was mostly to pick that up in the second match, which I did and my goal was overall to have a great game and have fun and I’m glad we all had fun playing.”

Carpino finished with 29 assists, two aces and six digs.

Rivera finished with 11 digs, one kill and four assists in the second match and finished with 26 digs, two kills and four assists combined in both matches.

“I’m so proud of Jenn,” said Burnette on Rivera. “All season long, even during the fall, she was always going in for one of our outside hitters defensively and was playing middle back. Today was the first time she played in a match as the libero in that position and she did a phenomenal job. Very proud of her passing, running up the defense overall, not that I would’ve expected anything less. We’re super proud of her and her performance today.”

Spencer (five kills, two aces, five digs and one block), Jideofor (three kills, four digs and two blocks), Hutchinson (three kills and one dig) and freshman Kaylee Forman (six assists and one ace) all contributed for the home match win.

Up Next:

The Manatees remain at Hal Chasey Gymnasium to resume conference play on spring break as they welcome St. Pete College (0-8, 0-7 Suncoast) Tuesday night, March 9 at 6 pm.