SCF Baseball Wraps Up Suncoast Play

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (32-17, 16-8 Suncoast) will wrap up the regular season with the final two series of Suncoast Conference play. The Manatees will first play Hillsborough (16-24, 8-16 Suncoast) before finalizing the regular season with the final three-game series against #15 Florida Southwestern State (37-13, 18-6 Suncoast).

All three games against HCC will start at 3 pm and take place at George M. Steinbrenner Field Monday, April 19, Wednesday, April 21 and Friday, April 23.

For the series against FSW, game one will take place at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers Saturday afternoon, April 24 at 1 pm. Game two will then return to Robert C. Wynn Field Monday night, April 26 at 6 pm before returning to City of Palms Park Wednesday afternoon, April 28 at 3 pm. Game two will be the last home game of the season for the Manatees.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees recently wrapped up their second series with St. Pete College with a sweep over them. The Manatees won by scores of 10-6, 15-4 and 10-3. Evidently, SCF defeated the Titans 5-1 in the series.

2,000 Club:

In the series finale against SPC, the Manatees claimed a new milestone to their program as they earned their 2,000th win in their program’s history, dating back to 1959. Arguably, they are the first junior college in the state reach 2,000 wins as a single program.

Wolf Pack Power:

Sophomore Tucker Mitchell is one of the top sources leading the power and contact for the Manatees. Mitchell is currently batting .378 with six home runs and a team-leading 50 RBI. Against SPC, the NC State commit was 6-for-14 with two home runs and seven RBI in the second series and was 9-for-32 overall with two home runs and 11 RBI. In fact, all six of his home runs were in Suncoast play.

Jake the Rake:

Freshman Jake Jackson has also been on a hot streak at the plate as he is on an eight-game hitting streak. Jackson is batting a team-leading .385 with two home runs and 27 RBI. Against SPC, he was 5-for-10 with a home run and two RBI in the second series and 10-for-25 overall with one home run and five RBI.

Steel City Smackdown:

Although he had a brief cold spell in some of his games, sophomore Jack Anderson still plays a big role at the plate. Anderson is currently batting .337 with five home runs and 38 RBI. The Pittsburgh commit finished the second series against SPC 3-for-9 with four RBI and 8-for-21 with six RBI overall.

Start Your Engines:

Freshman Kevin Karstetter has been playing well for his first year with the Manatees. Karstetter is currently batting .313 with three home runs and 45 RBI. Karstetter finished the second series with SPC 4-for-10 with five RBI and finished 10-for-23 with 10 RBI.

Anchors Aweigh:

Like Jackson, sophomore Owen Ayers has been on a roll at the plate as he is also on a eight-game hitting streak. Ayers is currently batting .293 with seven home runs, 39 RBI and nine stolen bases. Against SPC in the second series, Ayers finished 3-for-11 with three RBI and three stolen bases and overall finished 8-for-24 with a home run, seven RBI and three stolen bases.

Pitcher Pride:

Sophomores Cole Ayers and Daniel Batcher have been the keys to the starting rotation.

Ayers had one of his better starts against SPC where he threw eight innings with seven strikeouts. Currently, the upcoming Cincinnati transfer is 4-1 with a 4.97 ERA and 47 strikeouts.

Batcher threw seven innings with seven strikeouts in his last start against SPC. Currently,  he is 7-3 with a 2.51 ERA and 67 strikeouts. Batcher will start game three against HCC.

Wild Card Factors:

Sophomores David Barrett, AJ Fritz and Matt Gelorme and freshmen Brayden Woodburn and Eli Thurmond.

The lead veteran reliever, Barrett is currently 4-4 with a 2.43 ERA, 61 strikeouts and two saves. He recently committed to Florida State University.

After returning from injury, Fritz is batting .263 with a home run and 13 RBI.

The third starter on the team, Gelorme is currently 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA and 54 strikeouts. Gelorme will start game one against HCC.

Woodburn has played a much more stronger role from being in the starting lineup as he is currently batting .312 with four home runs and 37 RBI. Against SPC in the second series, Woodburn went 6-for-11 with a home run and seven RBI. Overall against SPC, he went 9-for-21 with a home run and nine RBI.

Bouncing between starting and relief, Thurmond is 4-1 with a 3.21 ERA, three saves and 44 strikeouts.

Scouting HCC:

The Hawks are coming off of losing the second series to Polk State, winning game one 11-3 before losing games two and three by scores of 14-8 and 4-0.

Sophomore Alex Cordero still leads the Hawks offense after batting .310 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI, while Hunter Fitzgerald follows batting .279 with seven home runs and 24 RBI. Fitzgerald will be committing to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) next season.

On the mound, freshman Michael Schuler is the leader for the Hawks as he is 5-3 with a 4.33 ERA and 51 strikeouts.

Scouting FSW:

The Buccaneers, who are ranked #15 in the nation, are coming off of sweeping South Florida State College by scores of 5-2, 5-1 and 5-1.

Redshirt sophomore Christian Lucio leads the Buccaneers batting .348 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI. Freshman Abimelec Ortiz follows along with nine home runs and 43 RBI while batting .356.

The freshman duo of Alex Ayala Jr and Carlos Rodriguez are both 7-2 on the mound. Ayala Jr has a 3.02 ERA, one save and 78 strikeouts, while Rodriguez is throwing a 2.14 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

Sophomore Antonio Knowles is the Buccaneers lead closer with 11 saves while going 1-1 with a 0.94 ERA and 50 strikeouts.

Series History:

Overall the Manatees are 42-20 against the Hawks and 19-8 against the Buccaneers. They claimed the series against HCC winning two game to one, but loss the series two games to one to FSW.

Livestats will be provided for all six games. In the series against FSW, games one and three will air on the FSW Athletics website while game two will air on the SCF Sports Network.

Livestats Link:

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

Livestream Link:
Games One and Three - https://www.fswbucs.com/fswbucslive
Game Two - https://www.scfmanatees.com/fan_zone/SCF_Sports_Network

SCF Baseball Hits 2,000 Wins

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (32-17, 16-8 Suncoast) made a historical moment at Robert C. Wynn Field Saturday afternoon as they defeated St. Pete (21-20, 9-15 Suncoast) 10-3 to claim the sweep. With the win, the Manatees not only are 37-14 against the Titans, but have earned their 2,000th win in their program history.

“We haven’t left ourself a lot of room to error,” said head coach Tim Hill. “St. Pete is a well-coached program with really good players and it’s tough to sweep people in this league, so it was good to see us do that. We played well on our home field the whole year and we challenge our guys to keep that up and they did.”!

“It was a big win for us,” said sophomore Cole Ayers. “We need to win out kind of from here on out and the sweep was huge for our team and what we’re try to do later on in the year. I get like we were in complete control from the first pitch on. I felt like they (SPC) didn’t stand a chance when they came to our field.”

“It was a pretty good today,” said freshman Brayden Woodburn. “We started out really hot after Jake (Jackson) hit the solo home run and I felt that gave us a lot of momentum. When Cole (Ayers) came out, he shoved the whole game, so it felt good.”

Hill sent Cole Ayers to the mound, while SPC head coach Ryan Beckman sent freshman Bryce Fisher to counter.

The Manatees would be the first to get on the board as freshman Jake Jackson sent a one-out solo homer to right for his second of the season.

“I was looking for a good pitch to hit,” said Jackson on his home run. “When the opportunity came, I got it and took advantage of it. I’m glad I was able to get us a momentum and the hitters started to hit before Cole shoved and got the dub.”

One inning later, the Manatees extended their lead. After Woodburn and sophomore Jacob Steinberg drew walks, freshman Joel Perez would send Woodburn home with a single before sophomore Tucker Mitchell sent a three run blast to left for his fifth of the season to make it 5-0 SCF.

“Throughout the course of the game, after my first at-bat, I watched how they (SPC) were attacking hitters,” said Mitchell on his home run. “The majority of the time it seemed as if they were coming inside with the fastball after the first couple of pitches, so I was really trying to set my sights there and turns out I got it, put a good swing on it and it went a long ways.”

At the top of the fourth, Cole Ayers put himself into a jam after putting two runners in scoring position, but the upcoming Cincinnati transfer pulled off a big moment with three straight strikeouts to end the top half.

At the top of the seventh, the Titans would finally get their first run on the board as sophomore Christian Riveria sent a solo home run to left for his sixth of the season, but that made the Manatees respond back strongly. After Mitchell and Jackson hit back-to-back singles, Mitchell would steal third before sophomore Owen Ayers sent a double to center to bring in Mitchell.

Classmate Jack Anderson would then sent a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Jackson. After freshman Kevin Karstetter drew a walk, Woodburn would turn the ignition on the Manatees offense as he sent a three-run blast to left for his fourth of the season to make it 10-1 SCF.

“I don’t really think much when I’m at the plate, I just like to be comfortable in the box,” said Woodburn on his home run. “I felt like if I start thinking, then I overthink things and that’s when things get messed up. The pitcher threw a curveball for a first pitch strike, then a high fastball. I felt like he was going back to throwing the curve since I watched it and he just hung it which I took a shot at in success.”

At the top of the eighth, freshman Justin Turk would send reach on a error while classmate El Rico Riley scored. At the top of the ninth, the Titans would add one final run as freshman Carlos Castillo reached on an error, while Rivera scored, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees pulled away with the win.

“That was something we were going for throughout in our minds,” said Mitchell on getting the sweep. “We knew we had to take it one game at a time and to be able to do that felt really good for our team to keep going to go out and finish strong.”

Cole Ayers would earn his fourth win of the season after giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in eight innings. He is now 4-1 on the season.

“I was hitting my spots and relying on Donnie (Robinson) for good pitches,” said Cole Ayers on his game. “Jack (Anderson) worked hard behind the plate and we connected well together and we just ready to get after it.”

“Cole is a guy we can count on and he showed what he’s capable of doing and was in control the whole way,” said Hill on Cole Ayers. “I thought he was very competitive. The fourth inning show what he was capable when he had runners in scoring position and no outs and then get three straight strikeouts to keep SPC from scoring and showed some emotion at the end of it. He did a great job from start to finish.”

Sophomore David Barrett gave up one unearned run in two-third of an inning of relief with a walk and two strikeouts, while classmate Tony Rossi threw the remaining third of an inning.

Fisher would fall to 3-5 after giving up five runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts in five innings.

Mitchell and Jackson both had a multi-hit game. Mitchell went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base, while Jackson was 2-for-4 with a home run, one walk and a stolen base. Mitchell finished the series 6-for-14 with two home runs and seven RBI, while Jackson finished with 5-for-10 with a home run and two RBI.

“Jake and Tucker have swung the bat well all year and it was good to see them do that,” said Hill on Jackson and Mitchell.

Woodburn finished 1-for-3 with the three-run home run, two runs, a walk and a stolen base.

Owen Ayers and Perez were both 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run each. Owen Ayers also added a stolen base.

Notes:

The win for SCF turned out to be the 2,000th win for the program, dating back to 1959.

“It was nice to know about a couple of milestone wins this year,” said Hill on the program’s 2,000th win. “I venture to say that 2,000 wins is the most in the state at our level. I don’t there’s any other programs that has won more games than that. This is a testament to all the really good players and hall of fame coaches that were before me and it was nice these guys make their mark.”

“It was great that I got to pitch in a historical game for the program,” said Cole Ayers on the 2,000th win. “What’s even better was to be able to get that 2,000th win this group of guys.”

“I was looking at the board and just all the history that we have was so important to us to maintain that history and winning tradition that we have,” said Mitchell on the 2,000th win. “It was huge to do it with this group of guys, put it all together and win another game.”

Additionally, this was win #311 for Hill.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#15 Florida Southwestern State (37-13, 18-6 Suncoast) completed the sweep over South Florida State College (19-30, 6-18 Suncoast) winning game three 5-1.

Polk State (31-18, 15-9 Suncoast) claimed the series over Hillsborough (16-24, 8-16 Suncoast) by winning game three by a score of 4-0.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #15 FSW (37-13, 18-6)

2. SCF (32-17, 16-8)

3. Polk State (31-18, 15-9)

4. SPC (21-20, 9-15)

5. HCC (16-24, 8-16)

6. SFSC (19-3, 6-18)

Up Next:

The Manatees will wrap up Suncoast Conference play with two final series as they take on Hillsborough before finishing up regular season against #15 FSW. All three games with HCC will be on the road.

SCF Baseball Takes Second Series Over SPC

Clearwater, Fla - The SCF baseball team (31-17, 15-8 Suncoast) were able to claim their second series of the second half of Suncoast Conference play as they defeated St. Pete (21-19, 9-14 Suncoast) by a score of 15-4 in eight innings via mercy rule at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater. With the win, the Manatees are now 36-14 against the Titans while claiming the series.

“It was a great team win tonight,” said head coach Tim Hill II.

For the second game of the series, Hill sent sophomore Daniel Batcher to the mound while SPC head coach Ryan Beckman went with freshman Channing Young.

After the first two innings went scoreless, the Manatees took it to the scoreboard first at the top of the third. After sophomore Rook Ellington lead off the inning with a single, classmate Tucker Mitchell would send a towering two-run homer to left for his fifth of the season.

After freshman Jake Jackson hit a double and sophomore Owen Ayers drew a walk, freshman Kevin Karstetter sent a single to right to bring in Jackson for a 3-0 SCF lead.

The Titans would get their first run of the game as freshman Gabriel Rincones hit an RBI single. The Manatees would respond back and extend their lead at the top of the fourth beginning with a lead off single by freshman Harrison Long. After freshman Joel Perez was hit by a pitch and Mitchell hit a single to load the bases, Jackson would send a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Long before Ayers followed with an RBI single to center to bring in Perez.

Sophomore Jack Anderson would then load the bases before Karstetter drew a walk of his own to bring in Mitchell. Freshman Brayden Woodburn would hit a single and bring in Ayers to make it 7-1 SCF before the end of the inning.

Freshman Carlos Castillo would then hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth for the Titans, but it made the Manatees offense hit harder at the top of the sixth. After Jackson lead off the inning with a single with Ayers following with a walk, Karstetter would send a pop single to bring in Jackson before Woodburn sent a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Ayers for a 9-2 SCF lead.

At the top of the eighth, the Manatees continued to send SPC a message with their offense. After Jackson and Ayers drew back-to-back walks and Anderson hit a single to load the bases, Karstetter would send a single of his own and bring in Jackson for the 10th run of the game. Woodburn and Long would then draw back-to-back bases loaded walks to bring in Ayers and Anderson to invoke the the mercy rule in effect before Ellington sent a infield single to bring in Karstetter. With the bases still loaded, Mitchell decided to add one more final touch as he sent a double to right and bring in Woodburn and Long and make it 15-2 SCF.

Sophomore Clay Callan would then come in for Batcher and give up a two-run home run by freshman Colton Olasin for his first of the season, but it was all the Titans could produce as the Manatees pulled away with the win.

“The team did great,” said Batcher on the win. “We hit the ball well, played great defense and just overall had a great game.”

“It felt great to win the series,” said Karstetter. “The job is not done yet though as we’re aiming for the sweep Saturday.”

Batcher would earn his seventh win of the season after giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in seven innings. He is now 7-3 on the year.

“I felt great out there,” said Batcher on his game. “I had command of all my pitches, including my changeup. I was ahead in all the counts and threw strikes. It was overall a great outing.”

“Daniel threw very well tonight,” said Hill on Batcher. “He was in control the entire time and set the tone for the game.”

Callan threw one inning of relief, giving up two runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout.

Young would fall to 3-4 after giving up seven runs on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout in three and two-thirds.

Five players had a multi-hit game. Mitchell and Karstetter both had three hits and four RBI each. Mitchell (3-for-6) added a home run, while Karstetter added a walk.

“I felt good in the box and looked to help my team any way I could” said Mitchell. “I made sure to tell (Daniel) Batcher that I was going to get him some runs tonight because he was shutting them (SPC) down on the defensive side.”

“I was seeing the ball well,” said Karstetter on his game. “It’s always nice to get multiple hits, but I think more importantly multiple RBI is what really matters.”

“Tucker and Kevin both did a great job tonight,” said Hill on Mitchell and Karstetter. “They both had some good at-bats and it showed.”

Jackson (2-for-3, one RBI, one walk and three runs), Woodburn (2-for-3, three RBI, one walk) and Ellington (2-for-5, one RBI) each had two hits and at least one RBI.

Ayers (1-for-3, one RBI, three runs, three walks and one stolen base), Anderson (1-for-4, one run, one walk) and Long (1-for-4, one RBI, two runs and a walk) had the remaining three hits.

For the Titans, Rincones, Olasin and freshman Ben Maskin each had two hits.

Notes:

This was program win #1,999. The team needs one more to reach 2,000 wins in their program.

“I think we’re going to be the first Juco program in Florida to get 2,000 wins,” said Hill. “We had a lot of great players, coaches and teams over the last 60 plus years and I am very proud of our rich baseball tradition.”

This was win #310 for Hill.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#15 Florida Southwestern State (36-13, 17-6 Suncoast) defeated South Florida State College (19-28, 6-17 Suncoast) 5-2.

Polk State (30-18, 14-9 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (16-23, 8-15 Suncoast) 14-8.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #15 FSW (36-13, 17-6)

2. SCF (31-17, 15-8)

3. Polk State (30-8, 14-9)

4. SPC (21-19, 9-14)

5. HCC (16-23, 8-15)

6. SFSC (19-28, 6-17)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep over SPC as they return home to Wynn Field Saturday afternoon, April 17 at 1 pm. Sophomore Cole Ayers will be given the nod to start the game.

Hutcherson’s Two Homer Game Helps SCF SB to Split

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Lauren Hutcherson’s offensive charge in the second game played a key role as the SCF softball team (14-17-1, 7-9 Suncoast) wrapped up their final Suncoast Conference doubleheader at home at the SCF Softball Complex as they split with Hillsborough (8-24, 3-9 Suncoast) losing game one 2-1 before winning game two 9-1 in six innings via mercy rule. With the split, the Manatees are now 29-9 overall against the Hawks and split the overall series at 2-2.

Game One:

Schuerman sent sophomore Samantha Hampton to the mound, while HCC head coach Elizabeth Holloman sent freshman Ashleigh Penix to counter.

The Hawks would score first at the top of the first after an RBI single by sophomore Savannah Jones. The Hawks would then extend the lead to 2-0 after an RBI groundout by freshman Ariana Manzanarez.

The Manatees were then able to avoid being shutout in the bottom of the fifth as freshman Mya Achenbach sent an RBI single to center to bring in sophomore Maddie Koczersut, but it was all they could produce as the Hawks would win the game.

Hampton would fall to 2-6 after giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with one walk in four and a third. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate.

Sophomore Ally Hulme threw two and two-third scoreless, hitless innings of relief with one walk and six strikeouts.

Penix would earn her first win of the season after throwing a seven-hit complete game, giving up one run with one walk. She is now 1-3 on the season.

Achenbach and sophomore Madi Schaefer each had two hits. Achenbach added a stolen base to go along with the lone RBI.

Koczersut (1-for-3, one run) and sophomore Kiersten Adams (1-for-1) had the remaining two hits.

Game Two:

Hoping to bounce back from the loss, Schuerman sent Hulme back to the mound to start game two while Holloman sent freshman Marisa Mellone to counter.

In a turnaround, the Manatees would score first in the bottom of the first as freshman Remi Herbert sent a one-out solo blast to center for her second home run of the season.

By the bottom of the third, the Manatees then extended their lead further. After freshman Hannah Murrary lead off the inning reaching second on a fielding error and Achenbach hitting a single before stealing second, Hutcherson showed her offense side as she sent a three-run blast to left for her fifth home run of the season to give the Manatees a 4-0 lead. This would signal the end for Mellone as Holloman made a pitching change and sent sophomore Madison Taylor to the mound.

The Hawks would try to respond with their first run of the game at the top of the fourth from an RBI single by Jones, but the Manatees would push back in the bottom of the fifth. After sophomore Carly Bogart lead off the inning with a triple and Herbert drew a walk, Hutcherson would once again show her power game as she sent her second three-run home run of the game to make it 7-1 SCF. It was Hutcherson’s sixth home run of the season.

Murrary would then show power of her own in the bottom of the fifth as she hit a lead-off solo homer for second home run of the season. After Achenbach hit a single and Herbert drew a walk, Hutcherson would seal the mercy rule win as she lined a single to center to bring in Achenbach for the win.

Hulme would earn the win and move to 9-6 on the season after throwing a six-inning one hit complete game, giving up one run with two walks and a career-high 15 strikeouts. Hulme finished with 21 strikeouts combined in both games.

Mellone would fall to 0-4 after giving up four runs (one earned) on three hits with one strikeout in two and two-thirds.

Taylor gave up five runs on five hits with two walks in two and two-thirds innings of relief.

Hutcherson finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and seven RBI. In fact, it was her collegiate multi-home run game.

“I was very happy with my performance in the second game,” said Hutcherson. “I knew I struggled in the first game and had to come back and help my team, so I went up to the plate with an open mind and tried to keep it simple by just saying to myself ‘See ball, hit ball’.”

Achenbach finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases. She finished the series 4-for-7 with three stolen bases.

Herbert and Murrary both had a home run and two runs scored each, while Bogart (1-for-3, one run) had the remaining hit.

Jones had the lone hit for the Hawks as she went 1-for-2 with the lone RBI.

Up Next:

The Manatees are back on the road as they travel to Clearwater to take on St. Pete (22-12, 8-2 Suncoast) in a doubleheader rematch Saturday afternoon, April 17 at 1 and 3 pm.

SCF Baseball Takes Game One Over SPC in Second Series

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Jack Anderson played the hero for the game as the SCF baseball team (30-17, 14-8 Suncoast) pulled together a strong eighth inning rally to defeat St. Pete College (21-18, 9-13 Suncoast) 10-6 at Wynn Field. With the win, the Manatees are now 35-14 against the Titans.

“This team has been through so much adversity this year,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “We have seen a lot of different things happen, but we continue to try and stress them to play hard for the entire game. Good teams finish strong in the last three innings and that’s what we’re trying to do, so scoring seven runs in the seventh and eighth was really big tonight.”

Hill sent sophomore Matt Gelorme to the mound, while SPC head coach Ryan Beckman sent redshirt sophomore Gabriel Partridge to counter.

The Titans would be the first to score at the top of the first four runs thanks to two two-RBI doubles by sophomore Christian Rivera and freshman Ben Maskin.

The Manatees would then get their first two runs on the board in the bottom of the second. After a lead-off walk by Anderson and back-to-back singles by freshmen Kevin Karstetter and Brayden Woodburn to load the bases, freshman Joel Perez would send a double to center to bring in Anderson and Karstetter. Sophomore Rook Ellington would then groundout to bring in Woodburn and cut the lead to 4-3.

The Titans would extend the lead to 5-3 after an RBI groundout by sophomore Jonathan Alonso at the top of the third.

At the top of the fifth, with one out, Hill decided to pull Gelorme and send freshman Eli Thurmond to the mound to finish the inning in success.

At the top of the sixth, the Titans would make it 6-3 thanks to a bases loaded walk by freshman Gabriel Rincones. Thurmond still remained confident as he was able to get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees attempted to cut the deficit again starting with a lead-off double by freshman Jake Jackson. After Jackson advanced to third on fielding error, Anderson would send a single to right and bring in Jackson. Woodburn would then send a hard double to center and bring in Anderson to cut the Titans lead to 6-5.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Manatees decided to put together a rally to get the lead. After Ellington and freshman Harrison Long hit back-to-back singles and sophomore Tucker Mitchell drew a walk to load the bases, sophomore AJ Fritz would come in to pinch hit for Jackson and draw a walk to bring in Ellington and tie the game at 6-6. Sophomore Owen Ayers would then give the Manatees their first lead of the game with a single to bring in classmate Cameron Lee, who pinch ran for Long. The offensive eyes turned to Anderson as the upcoming Pittsburgh transfer would send a double to right and bring in Mitchell and Fritz before Karstetter sent a sacrifice fly to center to bring in Ayers for a 10-6 SCF lead.

Sophomore Tony Rossi would then close the door at the top of the ninth and seal the win for the Manatees.

“It was a big win for the guys after coming off a tough loss to Polk State,” said Anderson. “We’re going to use this game as a motivation to close out these last eight games the right way.”

“This win was huge,” said Thurmond. “Not only did we need the win for our record, but we were hungry to dominate someone again. It helps set up the series on the right foot.”

Gelorme and Partridge would earn no-decisions. Gelorme gave up five runs on three hits with five walks and two strikeouts in three and two-thirds, while Partridge gave up three runs on three hits with two walks in one and two-thirds.

Thurmond would earn his fourth win of the season after giving up one unearned run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in four and a third innings of relief. He is now 4-1 on the year.

“My last outing was a rough one and my teammates were able to pick me up,” said Thurmond. “I was able to return the favor tonight, so that felt good.”

“Eli came in and pretty much held S. Pete scoreless the rest of the way,” said Hill on Thurmond. “While he did give up an unearned run from a misplayed double play ball, he pulled through strongly.”

Rossi threw a scoreless inning of relief with three strikeouts.

Sophomore Chris Brucks would fall to 1-3 with the loss after giving up three runs on two hits with one walk in no inning of relief.

Three batters had a multi-hit game. Woodburn lead the Manatees in hitting as he went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Anderson went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs and two walks.

“When I got walked the first two appearances, I felt like it helped me settle in and I saw the ball well tonight,” said Anderson on his game. “It was a great feeling getting those runs across for the team in those last two innings.”

Long was the third batter with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-2.

Jackson (1-for-3, one run), Ayers (1-for-4, one RBI, one run and one stolen base), Karstetter (1-for-4, one RBI and one run scored), Perez (1-for-4, two RBI) and Ellington (1-for-3, one RBI and one run) had the remaining five hits for the Manatees.

For the Titans, Freshman El Rico Riley was the player on the team with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with two runs. Rivera and Maskins both had two RBI.

Notes:

This was win #1,998 for the Manatees. They are two away from reach 2,000 wins in their program, which dates back to 1959.

“This program has been used to winning since day one,” said Hill on nearing the milestone. “2,000 wins would be a record for the state. It’s a testament to the two hall of fame coaches before me and the hundreds of top level players that this program has had every year.”

This was win #309 for Hill.

It was announced via Instagram that sophomore relief pitcher David Barrett will continue his collegiate baseball career at Florida State University. Barrett becomes the fifth Manatee to commit to the NCAA University level and the third to join a Power 5 Conference school (Anderson: Pittsburgh; Mitchell: NC State; Rossi: Louisiana-Lafayette; Cole Ayers: Cincinnati).

Other Suncoast Scores:

#15 Florida Southwestern State (35-13, 16-6 Suncoast) defeated South Florida State College (19-27, 6-16 Suncoast) 5-2.

Hillsborough (16-22, 8-14 Suncoast) defeated Polk State (29-18, 13-9 Suncoast) 11-3.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #15 FSW (35-13, 16-6)

2. SCF (30-17, 14-8)

3. Polk State (29-18, 13-9)

4. SPC (Robinson 21-18, 9-13)

5. HCC (16-22, 8-14)

SFSC (19-27, 6-16)

Up Next:

The Manatees will be on the road for game two against SPC at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater. Sophomore Daniel Batcher will be given the nod to start the game.

Raging Cajun and Air Force Strong Lead SCF Softball to Sweep

Freshmen Remi Herbert and Mya Achenbach’s offensive games played a strong role in the second series as the SCF softball team (13-14-1, 6-6 Suncoast) were able to finish where they left off as they swept Polk State (4-16, 4-8 Suncoast) in three games by scores of 3-2, 9-5 and 3-0. With the full sweep, the Manatees are now 28-9 against the Eagles.

“Overall, I thought we had some good team wins and that is always a good thing,” said head coach Mandy Schuerman. “Our offense performed when needed and our pitching and defense made some mistakes, but stepped up when needed.”

“I think our energy was up in the beginning when we got here,” said Achenbach. We were all happy, dancing and talking. The energy was up all three games and our hitting and defense was really good.”

“It was definitely a good team win for us and it felt good to get the sweep,” said Hebert. “Our energy is up and we have to reset tomorrow for our next series.”

“It feels like a team win and we actually came together ready for it,” said sophomore Samantha Hampton. “It’s been a long time coming that we finally put it all together and we actually had fun the whole time and played good together.”

“Our team came out wanting to produce and execute,” said sophomore Ally Hulme. “These games are important to us to help make it a possibility to go to states so we made it a goal to win every inning. Our defense was strong throughout the 17 innings, allowing all of our pitchers to pound the zone.”

Game One:

Game one was resumed from a road game with the scored tied 2-2 in the fourth inning.

At the top of the fifth, Achenbach would get the go-ahead run as she sent an RBI single to bring in sophomore Lillian Salazar to make it 3-2 SCF before sealing the deal.

Herbert would have a no-decision after giving up two runs on four hits with one walk and one strikeout in two and a third.

Sophomore Samantha Hampton would get her second win of the season after throwing four and two-thirds scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit with four strikeouts. She is now 2-5 on the season.

“Strategy-wise, depending on where they’re at in the box, we just want to jam them in and work them out,” said Hampton on her pitching. “I feel like having the defense behind me along with the offense really helped me get the win tonight.”

“Sam pitched really well today coming into some tough situations,” said Schuerman on Hampton. “I thought (Kristin) Kopp also through well, but Sam did a great job.”

Freshman Stephanie Derringer would be credited with the loss after throwing a complete game, giving up all three runs on two hits with three walks and five strikeouts. She is now 0-1 on the season.

Achenbach and sophomore Emily Hughes had the Manatees only two hits. Achenbach went 1-for-1 with an RBI and two walks, while Hughes finished 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Sophomore Mallory Gough and freshman Joneshika Novedo each had two hits. Gough had the only multi-RBI game for the Eagles.

Game Two:

For game two, Schuerman sophomore Kristin Kopp to the mound while Polk State head coach Donna Byars sent sophomore Karie Abel to counter.

In the bottom of the first, Achenbach would open the offensive doors for the Manatees first as she towered a lead-off solo home run to left for her second of the season.

“It felt good,” said Achenbach on her home run. “We’ve been working on offense in the cages and in the bullpen, we’ve been tracking a lot, so it felt good to finally show it in the game.”

Following Achenbach’s lead-off homer, Herbert would then follow with a single before Kopp drew a walk and Hughes was hit by a pitch to load the bases, sophomore Kiersten Adams would send a single to center and bring in Hebert. Freshman Gracie Mullett would then bring in Kopp on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 SCF.

The Eagles would get their first run on the board as Derringer would send an RBI single to left to bring in freshman Alexis Hollinger, but the Manatees would respond back and extend the lead further. After sophomore Maddie Koczersut was hit by a pitch, Achenbach would lay down a bunt and reach base before rounding all the way home on a Eagle fielding error.

In the bottom of the fourth, Herbert would make a historical moment for herself as the Louisiana native towered a three-run homer to left to bring in Koczersut and sophomore Madi Schaefer to make it 8-1. It was Herbert’s first collegiate home run in her career.

“It definitely felt good getting my first collegiate home run,” said Herbert on her home run. “I was kind of in a slump before tonight and kind of got out of it. It feels good, but I try not to think about it so we can focus for the next series.”

“Remi has been barreling up the ball lately in practice and games, so it was no surprise to see her moment,” said Schuerman on Herbert’s home run.

At the top of the fifth, the Eagles started to creep up on the board from a two-RBI double by Gough, a two-RBI single by sophomore Saddie Stinson and a bases-loaded walk by freshman Tre Eady to make it 8-5, but the Manatee would add one more run off of a suicide squeeze bunt by Hampton that brought in Koczersut before sealing the deal for the win.

Kopp would earn her first win of the season after giving up four runs on five hits with two walks and a strikeout in four and a third

Hampton threw two and a third scoreless innings of relief with one walk.

Abel would be hit with her fourth loss of the season after giving up all eight runs (six earned) on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in three and a third.

Sophomore Sofia Palazini gave up one run on one hit with one walk and two and two-thirds of relief.

Herbert was the only Manatee in game two with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base. She also threw a third of an inning and gave up one run two hits with two walks.

Achenbach finished 1-for-4 with a home run, a stolen base and two runs.

“Just like Remi, Mya has been seeing the ball well the last couple of weeks,” said Schuerman on Achenbach.

Koczersut (1-for-1, one walk and three runs), Schaefer (1-for-2, one walk) and Adams (1-for-3, one RBI) had the remaining three hits.

For the Eagles, Derringer and sophomore Brianna Moffit lead the Eagles both batting 2-for-3. Derringer added an RBI, while Moffit added a walk.

Bough was 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Game Three:

Schuerman decided to send Hulme to the mound, while Byar sent sophomore Lindsey Burns to counter.

It was a pitcher’s duel between Hulme and Burns for the first four innings, but Hulme was more on the upper end as she already was ahead with six strikeouts and a no-hitter in session.

In the bottom of the fourth, Mullett would be the one to finally get the first run on the board for the Manatees as she sent a double left to bring in Hughes for a 1-0 SCF lead.

At the top of the fifth, Hulme would lose the no-hitter as Stinson hit a lead-off single, but she was able to brush it off and breeze through the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees extend their lead. After a lead-off single by freshman Hannah Murray before classmate Marissa Addison came in to pinch run and stole second, sophomore Lauren Hutcherson would send Addison home with a double to center. Herbert would continue her offensive onslaught as she sent a single to left to bring in Hutcherson for a 3-0 SCF lead.

At the top of the sixth, Hulme put herself into a sticky situation after a walk and a fielding error put runners in scoring position, but a strikeout and two big pop outs proved no doubt for the Tampa native to get out of the sixth.

At the top of the seventh, the Eagles tried to get one more gasp of air to get something on the board, but a final fielder’s choice sealed the sweep for the Manatees.

Hulme would get her eighth win of the season after throwing a one-hit shutout with three walks and nine strikeouts. She is now 8-5 on the season.

“I’ve been working hard with trying to be productive on the mound and today showed my hard work is paying off,” said Hulme on her game. “I needed to go out there relaxed and believe in my spins and the rest will play out. Having a defense that is willing to put themselves out there to stop a ball helps me know it’s ok to pound the zone, and if the batter hits it my defense will be there to back up behind me.”

“Ally did a good job pounding the zone,” said Schuerman on Hulme.

Burns would fall to 0-2 after throwing four and two-thirds, giving up all three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts.

Derringer threw one and a third scoreless innings of relief, while giving up two hits.

Herbert and Hughes were each 2-for-3. Herbert added an RBI and finished the three games 4-for-9 with a home run and four RBI, while Hughes added a run scored and 

Achenbach finished 1-for-3 in game three and finished 3-for-8 with a home run.

Hutcherson and Mullet both went 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Kopp and Murrart had the remaining two hits.

Notes:

The first game was resumed from March 18 due to a rain delay. SCF was the away team for that game.

The three wins were Schuerman’s were #209, #210 and #211 in her career as head coach.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #1 FSW (30-3, 13-0)

2. SPC (21-12, 7-2)

3. SCF (13-14-1, 6-6)

4. Polk (4-16, 4-8)

5. SFSC (7-22, 3-9)

6. HCC (7-23, 2-8)

Up Next:

The Manatees will continue conference as they travel to Fort Myers to take on #1 FSW Tuesday, April 13 at 4 and 6 pm.

SCF Baseball Opens Second Half Win in Suncoast

Avon Park, Fla - The RV SCF baseball team (27-14, 11-5 Suncoast) opened the second half of Suncoast Conference play in success as they defeated South Florida State College (16-24, 3-13 Suncoast) 5-3. With the win, the Manatees are now 40-16 against the Panthers.

“It always feels nice to start off the series and second half of conference with a win,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “It was a hard fought game. We got down early right in the first inning, but we battled back to get a nice win on the road. It wasn’t the prettiest win, but we will take it.”

Hill sent sophomore Matt Gelorme to the mound, while SFSC head coach Rick Hitt sent freshman Myles Caba to counter.

At the bottom of the first, the Panthers would get on the board first after a two-RBI single by freshman Zeddric Burnham and a sacrifice fly by sophomore Hunter Wilde to make it 3-0 SFSC.

At the top of the third, sophomore Tucker Mitchell would cut the Panthers lead to 3-2 after hitting a two-run homer to left to bring himself and freshman Brayden Woodburn. It was Mitchell’s third home fun of the season.

“I was able to come up in an advantage count to put a good swing on a fastball and saw the ball well,” said Mitchell on his home run.

At the top of the fifth, the Manatees were able to put a rally together. Woodburn and freshman Joel Perez drew walks and sophomore Rook Ellington hit a single to load the bases for Mitchell to start the inning. On a full count, the upcoming NC State commit would get hit by a pitch and bring in Woodburn to tie the game at 3-3. Sophomore Owen Ayers would then send a sacrifice fly to center and bring in in Perez and Ellington to give the Manatees a 5-3 lead.

From there, sophomore David Barrett came in for Gelorme and breezez through the next three innings before classmate Tony Rossi, despite loading the bases, closed the door to give the Manatees a the win.
“This win was huge for us to start off the second half of conference on the right track,” said Mitchell on the win. “We’re going to see them two more times and we’re excited to continue on the track that we’re on.”

Gelorme would move to 3-0 after giving up all three runs on six hits with theee walks and five strikeouts in five innings.

“Matt got off to a slow start giving up three in the first inning,” said Hill on Gelorme’s start. “Nevertheless, he kept us in the ball game.”

Barrett threw three scoreless innings of relief with two walks and five strikeouts.
Rossi earned his first save of the season after throwing one scoreless inning of relief with one walk.

“David and Tony did some good things,” said Hill on Barrett and Rossi. “South Florida threatened a lot the last several innings, but those guys made pitches when they had to and we came up with a big double play to end the game.”

Caba would fall to 3-4 after giving up all five runs on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts in five innings.

Mitchell would be the only Manatee with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.

Perez, Ellington and freshman Kevin Karstetter had the remaining three hits.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#13 Florida Southwestern State (32-10, 13-3 Suncoast) defeated Polk State (26-15, 10-5 Suncoast) 8-5.

Hillsborough (13-19, 5-11 Suncoast) defeated St. Pete (18-15, 6-10 Suncoast) 8-3.

Suncoast Standings:

1. #13 FSW (32-10, 13-3)

2. SCF (27-14, 11-5)

3. Polk (26-15, 10-6)

4. SPC (18-5, 6-10)

5. HCC (13-19, 5-11)

6. SFSC (16-24, 3-13)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to win the series against South Florida State as game two returns to Wynn Field Monday night, April 5 at 6 pm. Sophomore Cole Ayers will be given the nod for the start.

Long’s Return Helps SCF Baseball Snaps Losing Streak

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (26-14, 10-5 Suncoast) finally pulled themselves together and snapped their losing streak as they defeated the IMG Academy Postgrad team 10-3. With the win, the Manatees are now 3-0 against the Ascenders.

“A win feels better than a loss any day and we had a rough week,” said head coach Tim Hill II. “I don’t think we played really good tonight, but we did enough to win and IMG helped us out a bit, so it was nice to finally be on the winning side since we haven’t done it in a week.”

“It felt good to get the win,” said freshman Kevin Karstetter. “IMG is a good opponent and they had a good starter, but we did not have our best stuff at the plate, but we figured out a way to get some runs and put up a 10-spot and that was nice.”

“It felt good to get out of this slump we were in and it was a tough week for us and now we’re focused for conference.”

“It was a good win and we needed it,” said sophomore Tucker Mitchell. “It definitely wasn’t handed it to us. They (IMG) threw a good guy against us and we had to battle, make some adjustments and get his pitch count up and for us we needed it as we resume conference and it happened today.”

Hill sent freshman Eli Thurmond to the mound, while IMG head coach Kason Gabbard sent Khaden Washington to counter.

After a scoreless first, the Ascenders would score first at the top of the second after James Porter scored on a wild pitch. In the bottom half of the inning, the Manatees would respond back, beginning with sophomore Jack Anderson drawing a leadoff walk. After Karstetter hit a double, sophomore Owen Ayers would reach first on a fielding error while Anderson scored to tie the game at 1-1. After Ayers stole second, freshman Brayden Woodburn would send a sacrifice fly to center and bring in Karstetter to give the Manatees a 2-1 lead.

Hill would send sophomore Jakob Mattos to the mound to replace Thurmond, however the Ascenders would tie the game at 2-2 after Nico Kulpick drew a bases-loaded walk.

The Manatees would then regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth after Mitchell would send a single to left and bring in sophomore Cameron Lee to make it 3-2 SCF.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees started to finally wake up their offense. After Karstetter drew a leadoff walk and Ayers and sophomore Jacob Steinberg hit back-to-back singles to load the bases, Karstetter would score on a wild pitch. Freshman Joel Perez would then draw a walk to load the bases again before Ayers scored on a wild pitch. After Lee was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the third time this inning, Mitchell would then get hit by a pitch and bring in Steinberg to make it 6-2 SCF.

Soon, a returning freshman Harrison Long would send a double to center and bring in Perez and Lee before freshman Drew Macciochi came in to pinch run. Long was out for 1 straight games due to a hip injury.

“It felt good to be back on the field after watching for a while, which really bothered me,” said Long on his return. “I just wanted to get back out there and play with all my good friends. I started off a little slow since I haven’t seen pitch in a little while, but I stuck to my approach and figured it out.”

Freshman Jake Jackson would then draw a walk for a fourth bases loaded situation before freshman Charlie Davidson drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in Mitchell before Macciochi scored on a fielding error to make it 10-2 SCF.

The Ascenders would add one more run to their scorecard at the top of the seventh as Gabe Wright hit an RBI double, but it was all they could produce at the end as the Manatees ended their losing streak.

Thurmond would get a no-decision after throwing two innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.

Sophomore David Barrett would earn his fourth win of the season after throwing one scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts. He is now 4-2.

Mattos, Davidson, sophomores Clay Callan and Tony Rossi and freshmen Dylan Vega and Sean Dertinger each threw an inning of relief with at least one strikeout. Mattos and Callan each gave up one run.

Washington would get hit with the loss after giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in five innings.

“We definitely have a lot of interest in him,” said Hill on Washington. “Barry (Batson) is talking to him and he does seemed interested in maybe staying down in Florida. Our hitters thought he was an interesting guy and I thought he was competitive and he’s probably a big reason why we didn’t swing the bats as well as we’re capable of.”

Karstetter was the only Manatee with a multi-hit game as he went 3-for-4 with two runs and a walk.

“I thought I played well and I was driving the other way well,” said Karstetter on his game. “I found some good barrels with a good approach and got my foot down and did some damage.”

Mitchell and Long each brought in two RBI.

“I was trying to find good pitches to hit, stay within myself and make some small adjustments,” said Mitchell on his game. “It’s all about making adjustments and the more you can make them, the better you’ll be.”

Mitchell threw back to playing at IMG and head coach Gabbard for two years prior to SCF and FAU.

“Playing at IMG for two years and seeing how much they go through and want it, it was good to go to a different place and play them and beat them.”

Ayers and Steinberg had the remaining two hits for the team. Ayers added one RBI and a run, while Steinberg added one run.

Wright was the only Ascender with a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run.

Notes:

This was win #305 for Hill.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#13 Florida Southwestern State (30-10, 12-3 Suncoast) defeated Elev8 Academy 17-1. The Buccaneers will face Pasco-Hernado State (22-19) Friday night, April 2.

Hillsborough (12-19, 4-11 Suncoast) defeated ASA Miami (3-22) 11-7. They will return to Suncoast action against St. Pete.

South Florida State College (16-23, 3-12 Suncoast) defeated NAIA Warner University (B) 18-0 in seven innings.

Up Next:

The Manatees will resume Suncoast Conference play as they begin their second series against South Florida State College. Game one will start on Saturday afternoon, April 3 at 1 pm at the SFSC Panther Field in Avon Park and game two will take place at Wynn Field Monday night, April 5 at 6 pm before wrapping up the series back at SFSC Panther Field Wednesday night, April 7 at 6 pm.

Hill will give sophomore Matt Gelorme the nod for game one and classmate Cole Ayers the nod for game two. For game three, while it has not been decided, Hill will decide between Thurmond and sophomore Daniel Batcher.