Bradenton, Fla - After falling in game two and being forced to play a third game, the dreams for the next focus became a reality for the RV SCF baseball team (35-24) as they punched their ticket to the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament Final Four by shutting out #9 Santa Fe (40-10) 10-0 in six innings via the 10-run playoff mercy rule.
"I'm just really proud of the guys," said head coach Tim Hill II. "They worked their butts off and we faced a really good team. Ryan (Stefiuk) put up an amazing shutout and the guys coming out the gate and they were so focused. I couldn't be more proud of them, not just because they're good ballplayers, but are a fun group that I said from the beginning."
"From the beginning of the year, we wanted to win," said sophomore Kevin Karstetter. "They (Santa Fe) came out here to force a third game, but it did not matter because we are going to Lakeland for the first time in a while and that's all that matters."
"I think everybody rolling into the field today was very optimistic and very comfortable coming into this game," said sophomore Ryan Stefiuk. "Santa Fe is a very good team and in order to win, we have to pitch well, get ahead on defense and hit, which we did all three of those tasks. Just looking forward to playing in Lakeland."
"Santa Fe is a very good team with very good defense," said sophomore Victor Sanchez. "We were a big family and I'm happy that we worked together and won as a team."
Hill went with Stefiuk (2-3, 4.95 ERA) to start game three while Santa Fe head coach Johnny Wiggs went with sophomore Jacob Phillips (5-1, 5.62 ERA).
At the top of the first, Stefiuk would get into some trouble after the Saints hit back-to-back singles, but thanks to sophomore Richie Morales and freshman Erick Almonte getting redshirt sophomore JP Herrholz to turn a double play, Stefiuk would strikeout sophmore Jahlani Rogers to end the top half.
In the bottom of the first, the Manatees would get on the board first beginning with Morales leading off with a walk and stealing second. After Almonte bunted and reached base on a fielding error by Phillip, and moved Morales to third, Karstetter would line a single to left and bring in Morales. Sophomore Lucas Ismaili would then draw a walk to load the bases before Wiggs pulled Phillips and sent sophomore Jalen Hudson to the mound.
After the pitching change, sophomore Mario Lopez would smack a single to left to bring in Almonte and Karstetter. After Sanchez drew a walk to reload the bases, the Saints would make another pitching change as sophomore Gavin Book would come in. After that, sophomore Ben Gilbert would hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Ismaili and make it 4-0 SCF.
In the bottom of the second, Karstetter would show why he was named the Suncoast Conference Player of the Year as he belted a two-run homer to left to bring in Morales for his 12th of the season and increased the Manatees' score to 6-0. In the bottom of the third, Almonte would then extend the lead to 7-0 after bringing in sophomore Liam Moreno.
While the Manatees kept their lead, Stefiuk and the defense played a big part at the top of the fifth. After Stefiuk gave up a lead off single from freshman Corey Filley, sophomore Hunter Keen would try to add another hit to the board, but Karstetter's quick reaction got him to dive after a line drive for the out. Two batters later, Herrholz would send a fly ball that was going foul, but Moreno would make an incredible diving catch to keep the Saints from getting another runner on base.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees added their final runs of the game. After a leadoff single by Karstetter and an Ismaili walk, sophomore Brayden Woodburn would pop a single to center to bring in Karstetter and move Ismaili to third. After Lopez was intentionally walked to load the bases, all eyes turned to Sanchez to make something happen. On a 1-0 count, the transfer from Chipola College would line a single to left and bring in Ismaili and Woodburn to seal the deal.
"When I got up to the plate to get a hit, my mind was saying 'I need to help my team in someway' and that's what I did with my team," said Sanchez on the game-winning hit.
"I told Victor the inning before to stay focused," said Hill on Sanchez. "If you get up next inning, then you have a chance to win the game for us."
Stefiuk would improve to 3-3 after throwing a six-inning six-hit shutout with two walks and five strikeouts.
"I felt pretty good," said Stefiuk on his game. "I knew the difference in the game was going to be me limiting that one inning. In comparison to my last few games, there is always one inning that bites me on the butt, so I was trying to limit as much as I could to get ahead and luckily I was able to do it."
Phillips would finish his sophomore season 5-2 after giving up three runs (two earned) on one hit with one walk in no innings pitched.
Eight of the Manatees in the lineup had at least one hit in the game. Karstetter would lead the way in hitting and offense as the Suncoast Player of the Year finished 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs.
"I felt good," said Karstetter. "When it come down the line, you want to win and I was super focused today. While I had to make up some ground for the first two games, it paid off with a team win."
"While he didn't swing the bat like he did all year, credit to Santa Fe's pitching where they threw good arms at us, Kevin busted out today," said Hill on Karstetter. "He was the man for sure"
Lopez and Sanchez would follow Karstetter offensively as they were both 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk each.
Almonte (1-for-3, one RBI and one run), Ismaili (1-for-1, two runs and three walks), Woodburn (1-for-3, one RBI, one run and one walk), Gilbert (1-for-2, one RBI) and Moreno (1-for-2, one run) had the remaining four hits, while Morales (two runs, two walks and a stolen base) also contributed in the game.
For the Saints, freshman Drake Harman would lead the way in hitting as he finished 2-for-3 at the plate.
Notes:
With his three hits, Karstetter now has 233 career and 101 hits this season. He is the first Manatee to get 100 hits since Al Corbeil and is 11 away from breaking Corbeil's single season hit record (110, 1999).
With his one walk, Woodburn now has 50 this season and 90 in his career. He is 11 shy of surpassing Jody Reed (59, 1982) for the single season record and 20 away from breaking Joey Collis (109, 1994-95) for the career walks record.
Other Regional Scores:
#14 Miami Dade (34-14-1) defeated Pensacola State (35-18) 6-0 in the third game and took the series 2-1.
#3 College of Central (48-6) defeated Florida Southwestern (31-23) and took the series 2-0 on Saturday.
Northwest Florida State (32-17-1) defeated Polk State (33-23) 14-11 on a walk-off homer. The Raiders took the series 2-1.
Up Next:
The Manatees will look to keep their focus in session as they prepare for Lakeland and the final four of the NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament. They will face Miami Dade in the opening round.
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