Bradenton, Fla - The SCF softball team (6-16, 6-16 Sun Lakes) were able to snap out of their nine-game losing streak as they swept South Florida State (10-34, 3-19 Sun Lakes) 19-11 and 14-4 both my the mercy rule.
"I thought we did a fantastic job," said head coach Brett Sauerwein. "It was the best we hit the ball all season and I’m proud of each one of them. The focus for Pasco Hernando is to keep hitting the ball, that’ll be the key to our success and clean up the defense a little bit."
"I thought our team played good," said freshman Bri Thies. "We were all playing to our best ability. Everyone was relaxed and played how we were supposed to."
"I thought we did great today," said freshman Kierstyn Aumua. "The bats were on fire and our defense was working hard to support our pitchers who did awesome on the mound. We had each other's backs and picked each other up when we needed to, which is why we won."
Game One:
Sauerwein sent freshman A'Lana Martinez (3-7, 11.25 ERA) to start game one, while South Florida State head coach Carlos Falla went with freshman Joey Gray (1-4, 2.97 ERA) to counter.
The Panthers would open on the board first at the top of the first after freshman Deanna Ross scored on an error. The Manatees however would respond in the bottom half of the inning beginning. After A. Martinez and freshman Kaitlyn Shea hit back to-back singles and each stole second, Aumua would send a single to center and bring in A. Martinez and Shea for a 2-1 lead. Thies and freshman Brooke-Lynn Hilderbrand would then hit back-to-back singles to load the bases before freshman Joni Taylor and sophomore Kamryn Martinez brought in Aumua and Thies with back-to-back sacrifice flies and freshman Josie Alderson brought in Hilderbrand with an RBI single to make it 5-1 SCF.
At the top of the second, the Panthers would add another run as sophomore Kylah Davis would hit an RBI single, but the Manatees would once again respond in the bottom half of the inning. After A. Martinez reached first on a fielding error, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, Shea would bring her in with an RBI infield single before stealing second herself. One batter later, Thies would bring in Shea with a double to center to make it 7-2 SCF.
The Panthers would cut the Manatees' lead to 7-6 at the top of the third after RBI singles by Gray, Davis and Ross, but the Manatees would counter in the bottom half of the inning and increase the lead to 9-6 after A. Martinez brought in Alderson with an RBI double before scoring off of a Shea RBI single.
The Panthers would bring in another run off of an RBI single by Gray at the top of the fourth, but the Manatees would answer back in the bottom half of the inning as Aumua would send a solo home run to left for her second of the season. After back-to-back singles by Hilderbrand and Taylor, K. Martinez would bring in Hilderbrand with a single to center before Filla sent sophomore Alexandra Messina to the mound for Gray. After Alderson loaded the bases with a single before freshman Juliana Hess grounded into a fielder's choice with two outs, A. Martinez would showoff her wheels as she cleared the bases with a triple to right-center to bring in K. Martinez, Alderson and Hess to make it 14-7 SCF.
The Panthers would add their final runs of the game at the top of the fifth and try to cut the lead to 14-11 after a run scored on a fielding error and two RBI singles by freshmen Alexa Marin and Aziya Patterson.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees would rally to put the finishing touches on the game beginning with a leadoff single by Aumua before Thies brought her in with a double. After a Hilderbrand single and K. Martinez getting hit by a pitch to load the bases, Alderson would send a single to left to bring in Thies before Hess brought in Hilderbrand with a sacrifice fly. After A. Martinez drew a walk to reload the bases, Shea would be the hero and send a single to center to bring in K. Martinez and Alderson to seal the victory.
A. Martinez would improve to 4-7 after throwing a five inning complete game, giving up 11 runs (three earned) on 12 hits with four walks and one strikeout. She was also 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI, three runs, one walk and two stolen bases.
Gray would fall to 1-5 after giving up 13 runs (12 earned) on 15 hits with two strikeouts in three and a third innings, while going 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs. Messina would give up six runs on seven hits with one walk one and a third innings of relief.
Apart from A. Martinez, five Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Shea (4-for-5) and Alderson (4-for-4) that lead the way in hitting as they each had four hits. Shea added four RBI, two runs and two stolen bases, while Alderson added three runs and two RBI.
Aumua (3-for-4), Thies (3-for-4) and Hilderbrand (3-for-4) would round out the order with three hits each. Aumua would add three RBI and three runs, while Thies added two RBI and two runs and Hilderbrand added three runs.
Taylor (1-for-3, one RBI) and K. Martinez (1-for-2, two RBI and two runs) had the remaining hits and Hess (one run and one RBI) also contributed in the game.
Game Two:
Looking to secure the doubleheader sweep, Sauerwein sent Hilderbrand (1-9, 10.40 ERA) to start the second game, while Falla went with freshman Nicole Rivera (2-6, 4.39 ERA).
The Panthers would get on the board at the top of the first after an RBI single by freshman Elena Quinones, but the Manatees would respond in the bottom half. After A. Martinez (single), Shea (walk) and Aumua (single) loaded the bases, Thies would single to right to bring in A. Martinez and Shea. Two batters later, K. Martinez would ground into a fielder's choice to bring in Aumua to make it 3-1 SCF.
At the top of the second, the Panthers would tie the game at 3-3 after and RBI single by freshman Samara Singh and a sacrifice fly by Grey. The Manatees would then regain the lead in the bottom half of the inning after an RBI single by Thies brought in Shea.
The Panthers would add their final run at the top of the third to tie the game at 4-4 after an RBI double by Marin, but the Manatees would once again regain the lead with a big inning beginning with K. Martinez getting hit by a pitch. One batter later, Hess would draw a walk before A. Martinez hit an RBI single to bring in K. Martinez. After Shea (walk) and Aumua (reached on an error) loaded the bases, Thies would show her power and send a grand slam to center for her first collegiate home run and first collegiate grand slam to make it 10-4 SCF.
"I felt calm," said Thies on her first collegiate home run. "I knew I needed to get a hit, so I relaxed and did the best I could. It felt amazing in the end. The contact and everything just felt good.
The Manatees would then put their final runs on the board in the bottom of the fourth. After K. Martinez hit a single and Alderson reached on a fielder's choice, Hess would send a single to right and bring in K. Martinez. After A. Martinez drew a walk to load the bases before Shea reloaded the bases on a fielder's choice, Aumua would send a double to center and clear the bases to make it 14-4 SCF before sealing the victory.
Hilderbrand would improve to 2-9 after throwing a five-inning complete game, giving up four runs on nine hits with two walks.
Rivera would fall to 2-7 after giving up 13 runs (eight earned) on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout in three and a third innings. Sophomore Megan Bint would give up one run on one hits with one walk in two-thirds of an inning of relief.
Three Manatees had a multi-hit game for game two. It was Thies that would be the overall leader in the game as she went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, one stolen base and seven RBI while finishing 6-for-8 with home run and nine RBI. Aumua would follow going 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs and would finish the doubleheader 5-for-8 with a home run and six RBI.
"As we're nearing the end of the season, I definitely fell more comfortable at the plate now than I did in the beginning," said Aumua. "For me, the biggest thing is just trusting all the extra reps I take on my own before and after practice will pay off and it did today, so I'm glad I hit well."
"Bri and Kierstyn are at the heart of the lineup for a reason," said Sauerwein on Thies and Aumua. "They have been producing well in those spots. They both have a ton of power and I'm glad they picked pitches to hit that they could drive."
A. Martinez would out the order going 2-for-3 with two RBI, three runs and one walk. K. Martinez (1-for-2, one RBI and two runs) and Hess (1-for-2, one RBI, two runs, one walk and three stolen bases) had the remaining hits, while Shea (four runs and two walks) also contributed in the game.
Up Next:
The Manatees return to action as they welcome Pasco Hernando State (26-20, 11-9 Sun Lakes) to the SCF SB Complex Tuesday afternoon, April 15 at 4 and 6 pm.
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