SCF Baseball Sweeps SPC in Regular Season Finale

Clearwater, Fla - The SCF baseball team (35-19, 20-13 Citrus) were able to take their second sweep of Citrus Conference play on the road as they defeated St. Pete (9-39, 6-27 Citrus) 7-4 in nine innings and 15-2 in five innings on St. Pete's sophomore day. With the two wins and #7 Indian River State taking two wins over #21 Central Florida in their doubleheader, the Manatees finished third in the Citrus Conference.

"It was nice to finish the season on a positive note," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It’s always  tough to sweep teams in our conference when were down to our last out in the first game, but Luke (Boykin), Ryan (Kaitz) and Mario (Trivella) had some tough at-bats to give us the lead and then we did what we needed to do in extra innings. The bats came alive better in the second game and Oscar threw well. We have some guys in our lineup that can hit the ball out, so that obviously helped us today, especially Myles (Davis), who had a big week for us. I'm very glad to be back in postseason for our 50th state tournament appearance and I'm so very happy for the guys who have worked hard to get us back into the state tournament.

"Overall, I thought we played very well," said sophomore Oscar Hernandez. "The first game was a bit of a battle, but good teams are able to win games like that. The sweep was definitely huge for us to gain momentum before next week while still locking in on the little things for the playoffs. Making the playoffs feels great, but we know the job is far from over. Getting this program back to the playoffs was the first step and now we have to keep winning."

"It felt good to take this series," said sophomore Walker Vanecek. "We took care of who we needed to take care of."

"We definitely handled our business today," said sophomore Connor O'Sullivan. "We had a lot of contributions from a lot of different players. It was a nice series series win and sweep as a team. Going into the playoffs with all this positive momentum cannot be understated. We are all very excited for the opportunity that we have in front of us in the next coming weeks."

Game One:

Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (7-4, 3.33 ERA) to start game one, while St. Pete head coach Oscar went with sophomore Mel Rubiera (0-2, 5.28 ERA) to counter.

For the first four innings of the game between Radloff and Rubiera as both pitchers were able to prevent runs from getting on the board. Eventually, the Titans would get on the board first in the bottom of the fifth after a bases loaded walk by freshman Drew Pynes and sophomore Yeriel Pastrana getting hit by a pitch would give them a 2-0 lead. The Manatees would then cut the Titans' lead to 2-1 at the top of the sixth after Vanecek drove in freshman Ryan Kaitz with a single to left to make it 2-1 SPC.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would take their first lead of the game as sophomore Mario Trivella would send a triple to right-center to bring in Kaitz and sophomore Luke Boykin to make it 3-2 SCF. The Titans would not go down quietly as they tied the game at 3-3 after an RBI single by Pynes before the game went into extra innings.

After the eighth went scoreless for both teams, the Manatees would rally together and retake the lead. After Boykin (hit by a pitch), Kaitz (single) and Trivella (walk) loaded the bases, Vanecek would pump up the Manatees bats as he grounded a single to center to bring in Boykin and Kaitz before sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would pop a single to center to bring in Trivella. After freshman Clayton Evans hit a single to load the bases, classmate Dominic Donatucci would bring in freshman Bernard Barnes, who came in to pinch run for Vanecek, with a groundout to make it 7-3 SCF.

The Titans would add one more run to the board as sophomore Jose Rangel would send a solo home run to right for his third of the season, but it would not be enough as the Manatees took the game and the overall series.

Both Radloff and Rubiera would each earn a no-decision in their starts. Radloff gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts in five innings, while Rubiera gave up one run on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts in five innings.

Redshirt freshman Cole Dement would get the win and improve to 3-2 after giving up one run on two hits with three strikeouts in two innings of relief. Sophomore Daniel Hartley gave up one run on three hits in two innings of relief.

Sophomore Garrett Moran would get the loss and fall to 1-2 after giving up two runs on three hits with one walk in one inning of relief.

Vanecek would be the only Manatee with a multi-hit game and lead the offense as he went 2-for-3 with three RBI.

"I felt good out there today," said Vanecek. "It felt good to get back in the groove of things timing wise."

Trivella would follow on offense as he went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run and three walks. Boykin (1-for-4, two runs), Kaitz (1-for-1, three runs and one walk), O'Sullivan (1-for-1, one RBI), Evans (1-for-4), sophomores CJ Richard (1-for-4) and Allan Gil Fernandez (1-for-5) and freshmen Myles Davis (1-for-4, two walks) and Ben Ryan (1-for-2) had the remaining hits.

For the Titans, Rangel (3-for-3) and freshman Joseph DiCesare each had three hits, while Pynes lead the way offensively going 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Game Two:

Looking to take the sweep, Hill II sent Hernandez (7-4, 5.27 ERA) to the mound, while Espada countered with freshman Chris Conde (0-3, 9.90 ERA).

The Manatees would open on the board first at the top of the first as freshman Holden Brauner would hit a lead off solo home run to right for his fifth of the season. After Davis reached first on a fielding error, Gil Fernadez would send a triple to right-center to bring in Davis. Two batters later, freshman Mattie Counts would send a single to right to bring in Gil Fernandez to make it 3-0 SCF.

The Manatees would then extend their lead at the top of the second as O'Sullivan would show off his first bit of power as he sent a solo homer to right for his first collegiate home run of his career.

"It was a great feeling being greeted at the dugout by all of my teammates," said O'Sullivan on his first home run. "It always feels special to contribute in a big way to a big win for the team."

After freshman Will Rawls hit a single and moved to second on a groundout, Davis would show his power as well as he sent a solo home run to left-center for his fifth of the season and make it 6-0 SCF. The Titans would put in their only runs on the board in the bottom half of the inning as freshman Amarri Daniel would send a two-run homer to center for his fifth of the season and make it 6-2 still in SCF's favor. At the top of the third, Trivella would lead the inning off with power as he hit a solo home run to right for his sixth of the season. 

The lead would increase further at the top of the fourth. After Rawls and Davis each hit a single, Rawls would get caught stealing before Gil Fernandez and Ryan drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Trivella would then draw a walk of his own to bring in Davis and reload the bases before Counts lined a single to center to bring in Gil Fernandez and Ryan. Kaitz would then draw a walk to reload the bases before O'Sullivan sent a single of his own to center and bring in Trivella and Counts and Rawls lined a single to left to bring in Kaitz to make it 13-2 before sealing the victory and the series sweep.

Hernandez would improve to 8-4 after throwing a five inning complete game, giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

"I felt good, but it's very easy to pitch when your team gives you such a big cushion," said Hernandez on his game. "I love pitching for these guys and hopefully I have a few more wins left in the chamber.

Conde would fall to 0-4 on the year after giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits with one strikeout in one and a third innings. Sophomore Emilio Rodriguez would give up six runs on four hits with three walks in two and a third innings of relief, while classmate Christian Del Campo gave up one run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout in one and a third innings.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Davis and Rawls that lead the way in hitting with three hits each. Davis (3-for-4) had a home run, two RBI and three runs, while Rawls (3-for-3) had one run and one RBI.

Counts (2-for-3) and O'Sullivan (2-for-3) lead the way offensively with two hits, one run and three RBI each.

Brauner (1-for-4, one home run), Gil Fernandez (1-for-2, one RBI, two runs and one walk) and Trivella (1-for-3, one home run, two runs, two RBI and one walk) had the remaining hits.

For the Titans, freshman Lenin Nunez lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Daniel had the lone multi-RBI game as he went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#7 Indian River State (34-14, 24-9 Citrus) swept #21 Central Florida (34-16, 19-14 Citrus) 10-0 and 8-6.

#11 Florida Southwestern (39-13, 24-9 Citrus) swept Polk State (27-28, 14-19 Citrus) 6-5 (8) and 12-0 (5).

Seminole State College of Florida (29-22, 17-16 Citrus) split with Daytona State (14-30, 12-21 Citrus) losing game one 9-3 before winning game two 12-2 in five innings.

Santa Fe (24-26, 15-18 Citrus) split with Hillsborough (20-30, 12-21 Citrus) winning game one 2-1 before losing game two 4-3.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #11 Florida Southwestern (39-13, 24-9)*^

2. #7 Indian River State (34-14, 24-9)*^

3. SCF (35-19, 20-13)*

4. #21 Central Florida (34-16, 19-14)*

5. Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14)

6. Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (29-22, 17-16)

8. Santa Fe (24-26, 15-18) e

9. Polk State (27-28, 14-19) e

10. Hillsborough (20-30, 12-21) e

11. Daytona State (14-30, 12-21) e

12. St. Pete (9-39, 6-27) e

* - Clinched spot in the tournament

^ - Citrus Conference Regular Season Champions

e - eliminated from playoff contention

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to see who they face in the regionals of the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

SCF Baseball Takes Win Over SPC; Secures Playoff Spot

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (33-19, 18-13 Citrus) pulled off a second walk-off win as they defeated St. Pete (9-37, 6-25 Citrus) 12-2 in six innings via the mercy rule. As a result of their win, the Manatees clinched an automatic spot in the NJCAA Region 8 State Baseball Tournament.

"It was a nice win for sure and that win also clinched a state tournament spot for us so that was big," said head coach Tim Hill II. "After a rough start, Aidan pitched pretty well and anytime you run rule somebody, the bats must have done some good things. Just about everybody contributed. We're looking to close out the season on a positive note on Saturday to get some momentum headed to the playoffs next week."

"Overall, I felt the team did great," said freshman Mattie Counts. "We attacked early and didn't let off the gas from start to finish. Aidan (Ray) gave us a great effort on the mound limiting their offense, working out of jams and gave us a chance to run up the score. Our goal when we face St. Pete on Saturday is to relentlessly attack, quickly jump on their pitching and trust our pitchers to throw strikes while controlling the game and playing clean defense to help our pitchers stay efficient."

"I thought the team did great," said freshman Clayton Evans. "We played hard and stayed focused the entire game. For Saturday, we just need to stay locked in, play our game and finish strong."

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (3-2, 4.42 ERA) to the mound, while St. Pete head coach Oscar Espada went with sophomore Andres Bermudez (1-2, 9.11 ERA) to counter.

The Titans would end up on the board first at the top of the first after an RBI triple by sophomore Jose Rangel and an RBI single by freshman Drew Pynes made it 2-0 St. Pete. The Manatees would respond in the bottom half of the inning beginning with a one-out walk by freshman Myles Davis, sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez being hit by a pitch and freshman Ben Ryan drawing a walk to load the bases, sophomore Mario Trivella would get hit by a pitch and bring in Davis and reload the bases for freshman Mattie Counts. On a 3-1 count, the transfer from the University of South Florida would clear the bases with a double to make it 4-2 SCF. One inning later, the Manatees would extend the lead to 5-2 after an RBI single by sophomore Luke Boykin drove in freshman Holden Brauner.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would continue adding to their lead. After a two-out single by sophomore Connor O'Sullivan and a walk by freshman Clayton Evans, Brauner would send a single to center and bring in O'Sullivan before Davis brought in Evans with a single to left to make it 7-2 SCF. One inning later, Counts would bring in Boykin with an infield single to make it 8-2 SCF.

The Titans would try to score a run at the top of the fifth off of a single by freshman Lenin Nunez, but a strong throw by Brauner would tag out sophomore Mel Rubiera at home and prevent the Titans from scoring.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees would bump their run total to double digits beginning with leadoff double by Evans before moving to third on a fly out. Davis would then send a single to left to bring Evans. After Gil Fernandez reached on a fielding error, Boykin would send a double to center and bring in Davis to make 10-2 SCF. One inning later with O'Sullivan hitting a pop single to center, Evans would seal the victory for the Manatees as he hit a two-run home run to left for his third of the season and walk off the game.

"It felt amazing," said Evans on the walk-off home run. "I just wanted to help the team and I'm glad I came through."

Ray would improve to 4-2 after throwing a six-inning complete game, giving up two runs on seven hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

Bermudez would fall to 1-3 after giving up five runs on three hits with two walks and one strikeout in two innings. Freshman Logan Zavala gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout in two and a third innings of relief, while sophomore Gabriel Vargas gave up two runs on two hits in one inning of relief.

Six Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Counts that would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-4 with four RBI.

"I felt good at the plate tonight," said Counts. "I'm definitely happy to see myself getting back on track with hard contact when my team needs it, especially in the later stages of the season when we're looking to make a playoff run."

Evans (2-for-3) and Davis (2-for-3) would follow with two hits and two RBI each. Evans added three runs, one walk and one stolen base, while Davis added two runs and one walk.

Brauner (2-for-4) and O'Sullivan (2-for-4) rounded out the order with two hits each as well. Brauner added one run, one RBI and one stolen base, while O'Sullivan added two runs and one stolen base.

Nunez would be the leader in hitting for the Titans as he went 2-for-3 with a run at the plate, while Rangel (1-for-3) and Pynes (1-for-3) each drove in a run.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Seminole State College of Florida (28-21, 16-15 Citrus) 7, Daytona State (13-29, 11-20 Citrus) 1

Hillsborough (19-29, 11-20 Citrus) 11, Santa Fe (23-25, 14-17 Citrus) 3

#21 Central Florida (34-14, 19-12 Citrus) 9, #7 Indian River State (32-14, 22-9 Citrus) 5

#11 Florida Southwestern (37-13, 22-9 Citrus) 7, Polk State (27-26, 14-17 Citrus) 4

Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15 Citrus) 5, Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14 Citrus) 3

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #11 Florida Southwestern (37-13, 22-9) *

2. #7 Indian River State (32-14, 22-9) *

3. #21 Central Florida (34-14, 19-12) *

4. SCF (33-19, 18-13) *

5. Eastern Florida State (29-19, 17-14)

6. Miami Dade (28-21, 16-15)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (28-21, 16-15)

8. Polk State (27-26, 14-17) e

9. Santa Fe (23-25, 14-17) e

10. Hillsborough (19-29, 11-20) e

11. Daytona State (13-29, 11-20) e

12. St. Pete (9-37, 6-25) e

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep over St. Pete as they play them in a doubleheader at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon, April 26 at 1 and 4 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (7-4, 3.33 ERA) will start game one, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (7-4, 5.27 ERA) will start game two.

SCF Baseball Shuts Down Indian River State

Bradenton, Fla - The RV SCF baseball team (26-13, 14-8 Citrus) continued their work in Citrus Conference play as they shutout #6 Indian River State (27-9, 17-5 Citrus) 4-0 at Wynn Field.

“I thought the guys did a good job, especially Aidan (Ray) and Cole (Dement),” said head coach Tim Hill II. “Anytime you throw a shutout, something good had to have happened. I didn’t think we swung the bats very well and we left a ton of runners on base, but Indian River also left a ton of runners on base. We're looking to improve our hitting this Saturday and to get another strong pitching performance from both Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez). This is a big series for both teams and Indian River has a very good ball club and are well coached. We need to play at our best on Saturday. ”

“I felt the team did really good overall,” said freshman Aidan Ray. “We started off hot and we were solid the rest of the game, which is what a championship team does when we are headed in the right direction.”

“I thought the team did really good overall,” said redshirt freshman Cole Dement. “We did start leaving a couple of runners on base, but at the end of the day we got the hits we needed and got some runs up. Our pitch was stellar and I have to give credit to Aidan (Ray) for six shutout innings, which is all we can ask for in a pitcher.”

"I felt like the team did very well," said freshman Myles Davis. "Pitching was the story of the game thanks to Aidan and Cole and hitters did well today against some good arms, which was enough to get the job done."

Hill II sent Ray (2-0, 4.01 ERA) to the mound, while Indian River Statr head coach Frank Torre Jr. went with sophomore Lucas Glendinning (5-0, 2.55 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the first as sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez would send an infield single to the shortstop to bring in freshman Mattie Counts. The Manatees would then extend their lead in the bottom of the second. After Counts (hit by a pitch), sophomore CJ Richard (single) and redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan (walk) loaded the bases, Davis would then draw a walk and bring in Richard before classmate Holden Brauner brought in O'Sullivan after being hit by a pitch to make it 3-0 SCF.

After a scoreless third, Davis would increase the Manatees' lead further in the bottom of the fourth on a 2-1 count as the Iowan would send a solo homer to center off the centerfielder's glove for his second home run of the season.

"It felt good just trying to get on base," said Davis on his home run. "I just happened to hit it well enough on and it snuck out."

Meanwhile, Ray would get himself into a small jam with the bases loaded, but strong defense and hustle would get sophomore Maikol Lucena to popout to freshman Ben Ryan to end the inning.

After Ray finished the sixth with two strikeouts, Hill would send redshirt freshman Cole Dement to the mound for relief. After loading the bases full of Pioneers, the defense would not back down as sophomore Jake Weatherspoon would ground to sophomore Mario Trivella into a fielder's choice to end the seventh.

Dement would get into another bases loaded jam, but would not be fazed as the local product from Lakewood Ranch High School would strikeout the final two batters to seal the shutout victory.

Ray would improve to 3-0 after throwing six shutout innings with three hit, three walks and five strikeouts. Dement threw three shutout innings of relief with three hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

“I felt really good on the mound,” said Ray. “The slider was here and there, but with the fastball I felt I could really place it.”

“I thought I didn't feel as good as I could because I put some balls in place where they shouldn't be,” said Dement. "Thanks to Hayden (Gustavson) behind the plate, I was still able to get six strikeouts, which was great with the curveball and splitter really helped me.”

Glendinning would fall to 5-1 after giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Freshman Javi Miranda threw four scoreless innings of relief with three hits, one walk and seven strikeouts.

Gil Fernandez would leading in the way with the Manatees’ lone multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Davis would be the offensive leader as he went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a walk.

Ryan (1-for-4), Richard (1-for-3, one run), O’Sullivan (1-for-3, one run and one walk) and sophomore Hayden Guatavson (1-for-3, one walk) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Pioneers, sophomore Brett Patten lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-5 at the plate.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#19 Central Florida 11, Hillsborough 7

#10 Florida Southwestern 9, Santa Fe 0 (7)

Miami Dade 17, Daytona State 7 (8)

Eastern Florida State 7, Polk State 4

St. Pete 9, Seminole State College of Florida 7

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #6 Indian River State (27-9, 17-5)

2. #10 Florida Southwestern (29-9, 15-7)

3. RV SCF (26-13, 14-8)

4. #19 Central Florida (28-11, 13-9)

5. Eastern Florida State (22-16, 11-11)

6. Miami Dade (21-17, 11-11)

7. Polk State (22-20, 11-11)

8. Santa Fe (19-20, 10-12)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (21-18, 9-13)

10. Daytona State (11-22, 9-13)

11. Hillsborough (16-21, 8-14)

12. St. Pete (6-30, 4-18)

Up Next:

The Manatees look to take the series over Indian River State as they will travel to Fort Pierce to take them on at Mike Eason Field Saturday afternoon, April 5 at 1 and 4 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (5-3, 3.88 ERA) will start game, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (6-3, 4.06 ERA) will start game two.

SCF Baseball Takes Series Over CF with Split

Ocala, Fla - The SCF baseball team (25-13, 13-8 Citrus) were able to take the series and upset #11 Central Florida (27-10, 12-9 Citrus) with a split winning game one 13-0 in five innings before falling 9-7 in game two.

"Today was a tough split after a good performance the first game," said head coach Tim Hill II. "While we didn't finish the job by winning both games, we still won the series. Sweeping conference opponents is not an easy thing to do. Central Florida has a very good team, but so do we. Lochlan (Radloff) was in control the whole way and really competed while the bats really put up some good runs. We're looking to keep improving against a good South Florida State team on Tuesday before facing Indian River State next weekend."

Game One:

Hill II sent Radloff (4-3, 4.28 ERA) to start game one of the doubleheader, while Central Florida head coach Marty Smith went with freshman Peyton Fall (3-1, 6.14 ERA) to counter.

The top of the first inning became one of the Manatees big innings in the game beginning with back-to-back singles by sophomore CJ Richard and freshman Myles Davis before freshman Ben Ryan sent a single to center to bring in Richard. After sophomore Luke Boykin was hit by a pitch load the bases, classmate Allan Gil Fernandez, who came off of hitting the walk off grand slam in Thursday's game at home, would draw a walk to bring in Davis and reload the bases. Sophomore Mario Trivella would then send a double to left to bring in Ryan and Boykin before freshman Ryan Kaitz drew a walk to reload the bases for sophomore Hayden Gustavson, who would also draw a walk and bring in Gil Fernandez. 

This would signal the end for Fall as Smith would send freshman Cooper Ryan to the mound. After the pitching change, Trivella would score off of a double play to make it 6-0 SCF as they batted. The Manatees would add to their lead at the top of the second as Gil Fernandez would hit a double and bring in Boykin to make it 7-0 SCF.

At the top of the third, the Manatees would add their final runs on the board. After Gustavson (single), Richard (hit by a pitch) and freshman Clayton Evans (single) loaded the bases and Davis struck out, Ryan would send a single to left and bring in Gustavson and Evans. Boykin would then reload the bases with a single before Gil Fernandez brought in Richard with a single to left and Trivella brought in Ryan with a sacrifice fly to left. Kaitz would then single to reload the bases to have the Manatees bat around before Gustavson sent a single to right to bring in Boykin and Gil Fernandez to make it 13-0 SCF before sealing the victory with the mercy rule in effect and take the series.

Radloff would improve to 5-3 after three-hit five inning shutout with five strikeouts.

Fall would drop to 3-2 after giving up six runs on four hits with three walks in no innings.

All nine Manatees in the starting lineup had at least one hit with four having a multi-hit game. It was Ryan (2-for-4), Gil Fernandez (2-for-3) and Gustavson (2-for-2) that lead the way offensively as they each had two hits and three RBI. Ryan and Gil Fernandez also added two runs each. Boykin rounded out the order going 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

Trivella also lead the offense with Ryan, Gil Fernandez and Gustavson as he went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run. Richard (1-for-3, two runs), Davis (1-for-4, one run), Kaitz (1-for-2) and Evans (1-for-3, one run) also had a hit in the game.

Sophomores Marcus Bradshaw, Miles Curley and Armando Guirola each had one of the Patriots' three hits.

Game Two:

Looking to take the sweep, Hill II sent sophomore Oscar Hernandez (6-2, 2.96 ERA) to start game two, while Smith went with freshman Jay Jung (3-1, 3.03 ERA) to counter.

The Patriots would get on the board first in the bottom of the first as Curley would hit an RBI double. Hernandez would then get out of the inning thanks to a double play. The Manatees would then respond back at the top of the second beginning with a one out double by Trivella. After a single by Gustavson, redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would ground a single to right and bring in Trivella before freshman Mattie Counts hit a single of his own to bring in Gustavson. One batter later, Ryan would tower a three-run homer to left for his sixth of the season to give the Manatees a 5-1 lead.

The Patriots would slowly start to catch up after an RBI single by sophomore Logan Chapman before they took 6-5 lead in the bottom of the fourth after an RBI double by sophomore Dawson Harman, an RBI groundout by Curley and a two-run home run by freshman Victor Martinez for his eighth home run of the season. After the fifth went scoreless, Martinez would make it 8-5 with another two-run home run to right for his ninth of the season and second of the game.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would cut the lead to 8-6 as Boykin would hit an RBI double to bring in Gil Fernandez before the Patriots responded with an RBI single by freshman Tanner Swank in the bottom half of the inning.

The Manatees would add one final run at the top of the eighth as Davis scored on a fielding error, but it would be all they could produce as the Patriots took the second game.

Hernandez would fall to 6-3 after giving up eight runs on 11 hits with four walks and three strikeouts in five and a third innings. Freshman Austin Monahan gave up one unearned run on one hit with one strikeout in one and third innings of relief, while sophomore Landon O'Donnell threw one and a third scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts.

Jung would earn a no-decision after giving up five runs on 10 hits with five strikeouts in three and a third innings. Freshman Jose Paniagua would improve to 2-0 after giving up one run on one hit with four walks and five strikeouts in three and a third innings of relief while sophomore Arturo Ormaza picked up his third save after giving up one run on one hit with one walk and two strikeouts in two and a third innings.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Davis that lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-5 with a run. Counts (2-for-5), Trivella (2-for-3) and O'Sullivan (2-for-4) rounded out the order with two hits and one run each. Counts and O'Sullivan also added one RBI apiece.

Ryan would lead the way in offense as he went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Boykin (1-for-5, one RBI) and Gustavson (1-for-3, one run) had the remaining hits.

For the Patriots, Martinez would lead the offense as he went 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI, while Harmon lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-5 with three runs.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Hillsborough (16-19, 8-13 Citrus) swept their doubleheader over Miami Dade (19-17, 10-11 Citrus) 14-4 (5) and 9-4.

#7 Indian River State (27-8, 17-4 Citrus) swept Polk State (21-19, 11-10 Citrus) 3-1 and 9-6.

Santa Fe (19-19, 10-11 Citrus) swept Seminole State College (21-17, 9-12 Citrus) 12-3 and 15-4.

Eastern Florida State (21-16, 10-11 Citrus) split with St. Pete (5-30, 3-18 Citrus) losing game one 5-4 before winning game two 12-2 in five innings.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #7 Indian River State (27-8, 17-4)

2. #13 Florida Southwestern (28-9, 14-7)

3. SCF (25-13, 13-8)

4. #11 Central Florida (27-10, 12-9)

5. Polk State (21-19, 11-10)

6. Miami Dade (19-17, 10-11)

7. Eastern Florida State (21-16, 10-11)

8. Santa Fe (19-19, 10-11)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (21-17, 9-12)

10. Daytona State (11-21, 9-12)

11. Hillsborough (16-19, 8-13)

12. St. Pete (5-30, 3-18)

Up Next:

The Manatees return home for non-conference action as they welcome South Florida State College (25-12, 10-7 Sun Lakes) Tuesday night, April 1 at 6 pm before facing #7 Indian River State for their next conference series.

SCF Baseball Upsets CF on Walk-Off

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez's walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth propelled the SCF baseball team (24-12, 12-7 Citrus) to an 10-6 upset win over #11 Central Florida (26-9, 11-8 Citrus) at Wynn Field.

"I thought we were in control of the game the whole way through until that eighth inning hit us," said head coach Tim Hill II. "The guys knew how to respond in the ninth, which was really nice to see. Central Florida has a very good team, but we're a nationally ranked caliber team as well. It was a big conference win for us and we need to play well Saturday when we hit the road."

"I felt the team did great," said Gil Fernandez. "We were locked in on every play and we have the next pitch mentality. I thought that was the reason why we won because we were supporting each other all the time."

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (2-0, 3.89 ERA) to the mound, while Central Florida head coach Marty Smith went with freshman Brayden Toro (2-2, 5.50 ERA) to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would get their first runs on the board in the bottom of the second that started with back-to-back singles by sophomore Luke Boykin and freshman Holden Brauner. After sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez hit a single to left, Boykin would be called out at home trying to score before sophomore Mario Trivella loaded the bases after reaching on an error. One batter later, redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would send a single to left to bring in Brauner and Gil Fernandez before freshman Mattie Counts followed with an RBI double of his own to right to bring in Trivella for a 3-0 lead.

The Patriots would then get their first run on the board at the top of the fifth as freshman Tanner Swank would score on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 still in SCF's favor. The Manatees would respond back in the bottom half of the inning beginning with freshman Myles Davis getting hit by a pitch. After classmate Ben Ryan popped a double to left, Brauner would reach second on an error while Davis and Ryan extended SCF's lead to 5-1 before Smith sent freshman Cory Geinzer to the mound to finish the fifth.

Central Florida would then cut the Manatees to 5-4 after an RBI single by Swank and two-run triple by sophomore Marcus Bradshaw. Meanwhile, Hill II already sent redshirt freshman Cole Dement to finish the sixth.

After the seventh went scoreless, the Patriots would take their first lead of the game as sophomore Miles Curley would hit a two-run homer to left for his third of the season and gave them a 6-5 lead. Dement would finish through the inning.

Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Manatees would pull together the offense they needed. After Davis lead off with a single, sophomore CJ Richard would come in as a pinch runner and steal second before Ryan drew a walk. Freshman Ryan Kaitz would then come in to pinch run for Ryan before Smith pulled Geinzer and sent freshman Colson Altman to the mound.

After the change, Boykin would send a bunt single to third base and load the bases for Brauner, who would get hit by a pitch and bring in Richard to tie the game at 6-6. All eyes turned towards Gil Fernandez on an 0-1 count as the upcoming transfer for Florida International University towered a grand slam to left for his sixth home run of the season and second career grand slam for the walk off victory.

"When I went to the at-bat, I wanted to do the job," said Gil Fernandez. "I was looking to hit the ball far and hard to score a run and win the game. The result was a lot better than I expected when I knew it was out. My reaction was pretty exciting because I was looking for that moment and me doing it was something that has no emotion to describe but electric. When I was rounding the bases, I felt that I was on the sky and all the struggles and hard work I put in paid off in the end."

"Allan is a good hitter," said Hill II. "It was great to see him come through when the team needed it. I thought when he first hit it, the game was over because it would be at least a sacrifice fly, but obviously he got it much better that that for a walk off grand slam."

Both Ray and Toro would earn no-decision. Ray would give up four runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks and six strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings, while Toro gave up five runs (two earned) on 10 hits with two strikeouts in four and a third innings.

Dement would improve to 2-1 after giving up two runs on two hits with one walk in three and a third innings of relief.

Altman would fall to 1-1 and get a blown save after giving up three runs on two hits in no innings of relief.

Five Manatees had a multi-hit game with two having three hits. It was Gil Fernandez that lead the offense as he went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and two runs. Brauner would lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs, while Boykin went 3-for-5 with a run.

Ryan would go 2-for-3 with a run and two walks, while Davis rounded out the order going 2-for-4 with a run. Counts (1-for-5, one RBI), O'Sullivan (1-for-4, two RBI) and sophomore Hayden Gustavson (1-for-4) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Patriots, Bradshaw (2-for-5, two RBI), Swank (2-for-3, one RBI and two runs) and sophomore Armando Guirola (2-for-4, one run) each had two hits in the game.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#13 Florida Southwestern (26-9, 12-7 Citrus) 10, Daytona State (11-19, 9-10 Citrus) 2

Miami Dade (19-15, 10-9 Citrus) 9, Hillsborough (14-19, 6-13 Citrus) 8

Seminole State College of Florida (21-15, 9-10 Citrus) 5, Santa Fe (17-19, 8-11 Citrus) 3

St. Pete (4-29, 2-17 Citrus) 7, Eastern Florida State (20-15, 9-10 Citrus) 4

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #7 Indian River State (24-8, 14-4)

2. #13 Florida Southwestern (26-9, 12-7)

3. SCF (24-12, 12-7)

4. Polk State (21-16, 11-7)

5.  #11 Central Florida (26-9, 11-8)

6. Miami Dade (19-15, 10-9

7. Seminole State College of Florida (21-15, 9-10)

8. Eastern Florida State (20-15, 9-10)

9. Daytona State (11-19, 9-10)

10. Santa Fe (17-19, 8-11)

11. Hillsborough (14-19, 6-13)

12. St. Pete (4-29, 2-17)

Up Next:

The Manatees look to go for the series as they head to Ocala to face Central Florida at Goodlett Field Saturday afternoon, March 30 at 12 and 3 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-3, 4.28 ERA) will be given the nod to start game one, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (6-2, 2.96 ERA) will start game two.

SCF Baseball Takes Series with Split vs HCC

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (22-12, 11-7 Citrus) were able to secure their fourth series in Citrus Conference play as the split with Hillsborough (13-18, 6-12 Citrus) losing game one 11-4 before winning game two 9-5 to take the series.

Game One:

Head coach Tim Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-2, 3.95 ERA) to start game one on the mound, while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton went with freshman Anthony Jacquez (1-4, 8.53 ERA) to counter.

Hillsborough would take the lead in the first inning after an RBI double by sophomore Angel Matos. After the second inning went scoreless, the Hawks would increase the lead to 4-0 after an two-run triple by Matos and an RBI single by sophomore Blake Opie before the Manatees got their first run on the board in the bottom of the third after an RBI triple by sophomore Mario Trivella brought in freshman Mattie Counts.

After the fourth went scoreless, the Hawks would increase their lead after a two-run single by sophomore Tyler Gundelfinger made it 6-1 before sophomore Luke Boykin showed his power with a solo home run to left for his eighth home run of the season to make it 6-2.

The Hawks would add three more runs at the top of the sixth after an RBI single by sophomore Luke Fikar, before he scored on a fielding error, and an RBI double by Opie. The Manatees would then score in the bottom half of the inning after an RBI single by Boykin brought in sophomore Hayden Gustavson and freshman Holden Brauner brought in sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez after getting hit by pitch before the Hawks scored one final run at the top of the seventh off of an RBI single by sophomore Jack Martinez before they sealed the game.

Radloff would fall to 4-3 after giving up six runs on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts in five innings.

Jacquez would improve to 2-4 after giving up two runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings.

Boykin would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, while freshman Myles Davis went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Counts (1-for-3, one run and one walk), Trivella (1-for-4, one RBI), Gustavson (1-for-3, one run and one walk) and freshman Ben Ryan (1-for-2, one walk) had the remaining four hits.

Game Two:

Looking to take the rubber game, Hill II sent sophomore Oscar Hernandez (5-2, 2.79 ERA) to the mound, while Leaton went with sophomore JD Bryan (3-2, 6.94 ERA).

The Hawks would get on the board first at the top of the first after a sacrifice fly by Matos before they increased the lead to 3-0 after a Fikar RBI double and a run scored on a fielding error.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees would cut the Hawks' lead to 3-2 after redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan lined a triple to right to bring in Brauner and Gustavson. The Hawks made it 4-2 after an RBI double by Gundelfinger at the top of the fifth before Boykin responded in the bottom half of the inning with a solo home run to left for his ninth of the season and his third in the series to cut the lead to 4-3.

After the sixth went scoreless, the Manatees would then put together the rally they were looking for in the bottom of the seventh. After Boykin drew a leadoff walk and Ryan hit a double to put runners in scoring position, the Hawks would send Nathan Aprile to come in for Bryan. This would set up a chance for Davis to bring in Boykin and Ryan as he popped a single to center to do so and give the Manatees a 5-4 lead. After Brauner reached base on a fielding error, both he and Davis would score off of three wild pitches. Gustavson would then draw a walk before Leaton sent freshman Michael Halfpenny to the mound. After O'Sullivan drew a walk and stole second, Gustavson would score on a error before freshman Dominic Donatucci would send a single to right and bring in O'Sullivan to make it 9-4 SCF.

The Hawks would add one final run at the top of the ninth after a Gundelfinger RBI double, but it would be all they could produce as the Manatees sealed the series with the victory.

Hernandez would improve to 6-2 after giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits with two walks and four strikeouts in seven innings. Sophomore Daniel Hartley would earn his fourth save of the season after throwing one-third of a scoreless inning, while freshman Austin Monahan gave up one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings of relief.

Bryan would fall to 3-3 after giving up five runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five innings.

O'Sullivan would lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, one walk and one stolen base. Brauner would round it out going 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base.

Trivella (1-for-5), Boykin (1-for-3, one home run, two runs and one walk), Ryan (1-for-4, one run), Davis (1-for-5, one ru and two RBI), Gustavson (1-for-4, two runs and a stolen base), Donatucci (1-for-3, one RBI) and sophomore CJ Richard (1-for-3, one walk) had the remaining seven hits.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Eastern Florida State (20-13, 9-9 Citrus) upset #5 Florida Southwestern (25-9, 11-7 Citrus) in their doubleheader winning by scores of 11-8 and 5-2.

#15 Central Florida (25-8, 11-7 Citrus) split with Santa Fe (16-18, 8-10 Citrus) losing game one 9-4 before winning game two 13-12.

Miami Dade (17-15, 9-9 Citrus) swept St. Pete (3-29, 1-17 Citrus) 11-4 and 12-3 (8).

RV Polk State (21-15, 11-7 Citrus) split their doubleheader with Daytona State (11-18, 9-9 Citrus) losing game one 2-1 before winning game two 13-5 (7).

#10 Indian River State (24-7, 14-4 Citrus) swept Seminole State College of Florida (19-15, 8-10 Citrus) 4-3 (8) and 6-2 (7).

Citrus Conference Scores:

1. #10 Indian River State (24-7, 14-4)

2. #15 Central Florida (25-8, 11-7)

3. #5 Florida Soutwestern (25-9, 11-7)

4. SCF (22-12, 11-7)

5. RV Polk State (21-15, 11-7)

6. Eastern Florida State (20-13, 9-9)

7. Miami Dade (17-15, 9-9)

8. Daytona State (11-18, 9-9)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (19-15, 8-10)

10. Santa Fe (16-18, 8-10)

11. Hillsborough (13-18, 6-12)

12. St. Pete (3-29, 1-17)

Up Next:

The Manatees return to non-conference play as they head to Tampa to take on the University of Tampa JV (10-9) before resuming conference play against #15 Central Florida.

Back to Back Homers Lift SCF Baseball Over HCC in Extras

Tampa, Fla - Back to back home runs in the 10th inning helped lift the SCF baseball team (21-11, 10-6 Citrus) to a 10-8 victory over Hillsborough (12-17, 5-11 Citrus) in 10 innings.

"Tonight was a very hard fought game on both sides," said head coach Tim Hill II. "I thought both teams had some big hits and it came down to the wire. Looking for Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez) to give us quality innings this Saturday."

"I thought our pitching was awesome," said sophomore Mario Trivella. "Daniel Hartley coming down to close the game and keep us alive was very good while our hitting really came in clutch. We did a pretty good job today and we just ave to take that to Saturday and keep playing the game that we play."

"I thought overall, our team did what was needed to finish on top of this dogfight of a game," said freshman Ryan Kaitz. We made a few mistakes throughout the game that ended up giving HCC a few runs, but we stuck through and battled it out."

Hill II sent freshman Aidan Ray (2-0, 3.16 ERA) to the mound, while Hillsborough head coach Raydon Leaton went with freshman Caleb Clover (2-4, 4.01 ERA) to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Hawks would get on the board first in the bottom of the second after an RBI single by freshman Zacharias Walker, but the Manatees would respond at the top of the third beginning with freshman Mattie Counts getting hit by a pitch before moving to second on a groundout. After a single by Trivella, freshman Holden Brauner would bring in Counts with a sacrifice fly. After a single by sophomore Hayden Gustavson put runners on the corners, freshman Ben Ryan would show his power and send a three-run home run to left for his fifth of the season to give the Manatees a 4-1 lead.

The Manatees would make it 5-1 at the top of the fourth as Trivella brought in redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan with a fielder's choice. The Hawks would respond in the bottom half of the inning and cut the Manatees' lead to 5-3 after a solo home run by redshirt freshman Justin Allen and an double by Walker, but Ray would stay calm as the Alaskan would get out of the inning.

After a scoreless fifth, the Manatees would extend their lead. After a double by Counts and a walk by Trivella before they moved to scoring position on a wild pitch, Gustavson would send a single to left to bring in Counts and Trivella to make it 7-3 SCF. The Hawks however would not go down without a fight in the bottom half of the inning as they tied the game at 7-7 after a three-run home run by Walker and an RBI single by sophomore Luke Fikar.

The Manatees would regain the lead at the top of the seventh off of a one-out solo home run by sophomore Luke Boykin for his seventh of the season, but the Hawks would retie the game at 8-8 in the bottom half of the inning as sophomore Blake Opie would hit a solo home run to left. After both teams fail to score in the next two innings, the game would go into extra innings.

At the top of the 10th, Trivella would give the Manatees the spark as the Venezuelan would send a solo home run to left for his fifth home run of the season.

"I felt great when I hit the home run," said Trivella. "As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone. I was just waiting for the pitch and didn't miss it."

It would not stop there as Kaitz, who came in to pinch hit for Brauner would follow Trivella with a solo home run of his own to left for his first collegiate home run before the Manatees sealed the victory.

"It was such an awesome moment when me and Mario (Trivella) hit back-to-back home runs to give us the lead," said Kaitz on his first collegiate home run. "I went completely blank when I hit it and knew it was way out. An awesome feeling hitting it, but also an awesome feeling knowing it contributed to our win."

"Both home runs by Mario and Ryan in the 10th made the difference for us," said Hill II.

Both Ray and Clover would earn no-decisions in their starts. Ray gave up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits with five strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings, while Clover gave up five runs (four earned) on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts in four and a third innings.

Sophomore Daniel Hartley would improve to 3-1 as the reigning NJCAA Region 8 Pitcher of the week threw one and two-thirds scoreless innings of relief with one walk and one strikeout. Redshirt freshman Cole Dement gave up one run on three hits with six strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings of relief.

"Daniel has been doin a really good job and is starting to get consistent outs," said Hill II on Hartley. "His stuff is really good and it's good seeing him have success.

Sophomore Sammy Seplowe would fall to 0-1 on the year for the Hawks after giving up two runs on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts in one and two-third innings of relief.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Gustavson that lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI, one run and one walk. Ryan would lead the way offensively as he went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and two walks, while Trivella followed going 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, three runs one walk and one stolen base. Boykin rounded out the order going 2-for-5 with a home run.

Counts (1-for-4, two runs and one walk), Kaitz (1-for-1, one home run), Brauner (1-for-4, one RBI) and freshman Myles Davis (1-for-5, one walk) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

For the Hawks, Walker would lead the way offensively and in hitting as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#10 Indian River State 8, Seminole State College of Florida 3

#15 Central Florida 11, Santa Fe 1 (5)

Daytona State 11, RV Polk State 6

Miami Dade 11, St. Pete College 1

#5 Florida Southwestern 15, Eastern Florida State 9

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #10 Indian River State (22-7, 12-4)

2. #5 Florida Southwestern (25-7, 11-5)

3. #15 Central Florida (24-7, 10-6)

4. SCF (21-11, 10-6)

5. RV Polk State (20-14, 10-6)

6. Seminole State College of Florida (19-13, 8-8)

7. Daytona State (10-17, 8-8)

8. Eastern Florida State  (18-13, 7-9)

9. Miami Dade (15-15, 7-9

10. Santa Fe (15-17, 7-9)

11. Hillsborough (12-17, 5-11)

12. St. Pete (3-27, 1-15)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep against Hillsborough in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, March 22 at 1 and 4 pm. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-2, 3.95 ERA) will start game one, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (5-2, 2.79 ERA) starts game two.

SCF Baseball Slays Miami Dade

Bradenton, Fla - Two big home runs from freshman Ben Ryan and sophomore Luke Boykin helped pave the way for the SCF baseball team (19-9, 8-5 Citrus) in another high-scoring game as they defeated Miami Dade (12-14, 5-8 Citrus) 13-12 at Wynn Field. It was the Manatees' first win over Miami Dade since January 28, 2023.

"This win was a big conference win for us tonight," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Although we did not play well defensively and our pitching was not very well, we did swing the bats pretty well, so we're looking to play better defense and get two quality starts out of Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez) this weekend."

Hill II sent sophomore Landon O'Donnell (0-2, 6.65 ERA) to the mound, while Miami Dade head coach Lazaro Llanes went with freshman Jose Villegas (0-0, 3.21 ERA) to counter.

SCF would get on the board first in the bottom of the first as sophomore Mario Trivella would line a single to left to bring in classmate Allan Gil-Fernandez. The Sharks would then respond at the top of the second after freshman Willy Mendez hit an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. One inning later, the Sharks would take the lead after a two-run double by sophomore Michael Petite and a two-run single by freshman Talan Beckford made it 5-1 Miami Dade. After a walk, Hill II would pull O'Donnell and send freshman Aidan Ray (1-0, 2.67 ERA) to the mound where he would get out of the third.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees would put together a rally beginning with a Trivella bunt single and him reaching second on a throwing error before moving to third on a balk. After freshman Holden Brauner drew a walk, Ryan would bring in Trivella with a sacrifice fly to center before sophomore Hayden Gustavson hit a single. After freshman Bernard Barnes drew a walk to load the bases, redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would send a single past the second baseman and bring in Brauner and Gustavson to cut the Sharks' lead to 5-4 before Llanes pulled Villegas and sent freshman Jeffred Fermin to the mound.

After the pitching change, freshman Mattie Counts would line a single to left to bring in Barnes and tie the game at 5-5. Following Gil Fernandez getting hit by a pitch to reload the bases, Llanes would send freshman Luke Helms to replace Fermin. The Manatees would bat around as Trivella would hit a single to left to bring in O'Sullivan and give the Manatees the lead before Brauner sent an infield single to the shortstop to bring in Counts and Gil Fernandez to make it 8-5 SCF.

The Sharks would tie the game at 8-8 at the top of the fifth after a solo home run by Petite (fifth of the season) and an RBI single by redshirt freshman Matthew Say before taking the lead one inning later after an RBI single by Mendez. The Manatees would respond in the bottom of the sixth after a two-run homer by Ryan brought in Trivella for his third of the season to give the Manatees a 10-9 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees would extend their leading beginning with a leadoff solo home run by Boykin for his fifth of the season. After O'Sullivan (hit by a pitch), Counts (single) and Gil Fernandez (intentional walk) loaded the bases, Trivella would draw a walk to bring in O'Sullivan before Brauner would hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Counts to make it 13-9 SCF.

The Sharks would try to rally back at the top of the eighth after RBI singles by Beckford and Mendez, but it would be all they could produce as the Manatees sealed the victory.

O'Donnell and Villegas would both earn no-decisions in their starts. O'Donnell gave up five runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout in two and two-thirds innings, while Villegas gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings.

Ray would improve to 2-0 after giving up four runs (three earned) on seven hits with one walk and four strikeouts in four and a third innings of relief. Sophomore Daniel Hartley would earn his second save after throwing one and a third scoreless innings of relief with one hit and three strikeouts, while redshirt freshman Cole Dement gave up three runs on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.

Sophomore Enrique Sierra would fall to 1-1 after giving up five runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in three and a third innings of relief.

Four Manatees would have a multi-hit game. It was Trivella that lead the way offensively as he went 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, one walk and stolen base. Boykin would follow going 3-for-5 with a home run. 

Counts (2-for-4) and Gustavson (2-for-5) rounded out the order with two hits each. Counts added two runs, one RBI and one walk, while Gustavson added one run. Ryan added three RBI as he went 1-for-4 with a home run.

Gil Fernandez (1-for-3, two runs and one walk), Brauner (1-for-3, two RBI, one run and one walk) and O'Sullivan (1-for-3, one run and two RBI) had the remaining three hits.

For the Sharks, Petite lead the way in hitting as he went 5-for-5 with three RBI and five runs. Beckford followed going 4-for-6 with two RBI and two runs, while Mendez lead the way in RBI as he went 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Daytona State (7-17, 5-8 Citrus) 12, Hillsborough (11-14, 5-8 Citrus) 2 (five innings)

#10 Indian River State (19-7, 9-4 Citrus) 7, St. Pete (3-23, 1-12 Citrus) 6

Eastern Florida State (17-10, 7-6 Citrus) 9, Santa Fe (12-16, 5-8 Citrus) 6

#6 Florida Southwestern (22-6, 9-4 Citrus) 6, Seminole State College of Florida (17-11, 7-6 Citrus) 0

#17 College of Central Florida (21-6, 8-5 Citrus) 10, RV Polk State (18-12, 9-4 Citrus) 4

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #6 Florida Southwestern (22-6, 9-4)

2. #10 Indian River State (19-7, 9-4)

3. RV Polk State (18-12, 9-4)

4. #17 College of Central Florida (21-6, 8-5)

5. SCF (19-9, 8-5)

6. Eastern Florida State (17-10, 7-6)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (17-11, 7-6)

8. Miami Dade (12-14, 5-8)

9. Hillsborough (11-14, 5-8)

10. Santa Fe (12-16, 5-8)

11. Daytona State (7-17, 5-8)

12. St. Pete (3-23, 1-12)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to take the series against Miami Dade in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, March 15 at 1 and 4 pm at the Kendall Campus Baseball Field. Freshman Lochlan Radloff (4-1, 2.58 ERA) will pitch the first game, while sophomore Oscar Hernandez (4-2, 2.56 ERA) will pitch the second.

SCF Baseball Completes Sweep Over Daytona State

Bradenton, Fla. - The SCF baseball team (15-7, 6-3 Citrus) pulled off their first sweep in Citrus Conference play as they shutout Daytona State (3-17, 1-8 Citrus) 6-0 and 8-0 (8) at Wynn Field.

"I thought the guys played wit a lot of energy and focus, which was good to see," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez) were the stories of today. They both threw extremely well and obviously when you throw two shutouts, it gives you a great chance to win both game. They both threw tons of strikes and our offense played well. It was also nice to see better hitting with two outs in the second game."

Game One:

For game one, Hill II sent freshman Lochlan Radloff (2-1, 4.07 ERA) to start game one, while Daytona State head coach Tim Touma went with sophomore Peyton Underwood (0-2, 6.75 ERA) to counter.

The Manatees would jump on the board in the bottom of the first as sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez would bring in classmate CJ Richard with a single past the shortstop for a 1-0 lead. Meanwhile, Radloff would continue to pound the zone with six strikeouts in the first two innings before the offense made it 2-0 SCF after freshman Mattie Counts drove in sophomore Hayden Gustavson with a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the second. Gustavson would then make it 3-0 in the bottom of third as he hit a single to center to bring in Gil Fernandez.

After Radloff put zeros on the board for the next three innings, the Manatees would put their final runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. After Gil Fernandez (walk), Gustavson (walk) and freshman Holden Brauner (single) loaded the bases with two outs, sophomore Mario Trivella would ground a single to right and bring in Gil Fernandez and Brauner. After redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan drew a walk to reload the bases, freshman Clayton Evans would get hit by a pitch and bring in Gustavson for a 6-0 SCF lead before the sixth ended. From there, Radloff would have no problem in the seventh as he got the final three outs to seal the series.

Radloff would improve to 3-1 after throwing one-hit seven inning shutout with one walk and a season-high 11 strikeouts.

Underwood would fall to 0-2 after giving up three runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts in two innings.

Three Manatees had a multi-hit game: Counts (2-for-3), Gil Fernandez (2-for-3) and Brauner (2-for-4). Counts added one RBI and one walk, while Gil Fernandez added one RBI, two runs and one walk and Brauner added one run. Trivella would lead in RBI as he went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Gustavson (1-for-1, two runs, one RBI and three walks) and sophomore Walker Vanecek (1-for-4) had the remaining two hits.

Freshman Connor Guy would have the lone hit for the Falcons as he finished 1-for-2 at the plate

Game Two:

Looking to go for the series sweep, Hill II sent sophomore Oscar Hernandez (3-2, 2.49 ERA) to the mound to start game two, while Touma went with redshirt freshman Blake Van Horn (0-2, 6.64 ERA) to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would put their first run on the board in the bottom of the second as sophomore Luke Boykin would pop a single to center to bring in freshman Ben Ryan for a 1-0 SCF lead.

After Hernandez escaped a jam with two runners on base at the top of the third, the Manatees would extend their lead in the bottom half of the inning as Ryan would send a double to left to bring in Gil Fernandez and Vanecek for a 3-0 SCF lead. One inning later, they would increase it to 5-0 as Trivella would bring in freshman Ryan Kaitz and sophomore Luke Boykin with a single to center before Ryan scored on a Falcon fielding error in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-0.

The Manatees would make it 7-0 in the bottom of the sixth as Gustavson would send a single to left to bring in Gil Fernandez. After the seventh inning went scoreless, the Manatees would bring in the final run as Kaitz would bring Gustavson in with a single to center to invoke the mercy rule and seal the victory for afull sweep.

Hernandez would improve to 4-2 after throwing six scoreless inning with five hits and six strikeouts. Sophomore Duke McCarron threw one scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts, while freshman Austin Monahan threw one scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout.

Van Horn would fall to 0-3 after giving up five runs (three earned) on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings.

Four Manatees had two hits in the game: Gil Fernandez (2-for-4), Ryan (2-for-3), Gustavson (2-for-5) and Kaitz (2-for-5). Gil Fernandez added two runs, one stolen base and a walk, while Ryan added two RBI, two runs and two walks, Gustavson added one run and one RBI and Kaitz added one run and one RBI. 

Trivella (1-for-4, two RBI and one stolen base and Boykin (1-for-2, one run, one RBI and two stolen bases) had the remaining two hits.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

#9 Central Florida (17-4, 6-3 Citrus) swept St. Pete (3-16-1, 1-8 Citrus) 7-0 (forfeit) and 8-4 to win the series.

#15 Indian River State (15-6, 6-3 Citrus) swept Santa Fe (11-12, 4-5 Citrus) 14-3 and 12-11.

Hillsborough (10-10, 5-4 Citrus) split with #2 Florida Southwestern (16-5-1, 6-3 Citrus) losing game one 10-0 before winning game two 8-7 to take the series 2-1.

Polk State (14-11, 6-3 Citrus) split with Miami Dade (9-12, 3-6 Citrus) losing game one 4-3 before winning game two 10-4 to take the overall series.

Eastern Florida State (14-8, 5-4 Citrus) swept Seminole State College of Florida (14-8, 5-4 Citrus) 12-7 and 12-4 to take the series.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #9 Central Florida (17-4, 6-3)

2. #2 Florida Southwestern (16-5-1, 6-3)

3. #15 Indian River State (15-6, 6-3)

4. SCF (15-7, 6-3)

5. Polk State (14-11, 6-3)

6. Eastern Florida State (14-8, 5-4)

7. Seminole State College of Florida (14-8, 5-4)

8. Hillsborough (10-10, 5-4)

9. Santa Fe (11-12, 4-5)

10. Miami Dade (9-12, 3-6)

11. St. Pete (3-16-1, 1-8)

12. Daytona State (3-16, 1-8)

Up Next:

The Manatees will take on St. Pete College at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater Monday night, March 3 at 6 pm in a non-conference matchup. Sophomore Gavyn Bowen will be given the nod to open the game.

SCF Baseball Takes Down Daytona State

Daytona Beach, Fla  - The SCF baseball team (13-7, 4-3 Citrus) got back up to above .500 in Citrus Conference play as they defeated Daytona State (3-15, 1-6 Citrus) 11-6 at the Daytona State College Baseball Complex in Daytona Beach.

"It always nice to win a conference game on the road," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Today was a dogfight throughout the whole game. I thought Aidan (Ray) really stepped up and did an outstanding job and it was good to see Frank (Villella) close the game in the ninth. We swung the bats well at times, but there's a lot of improvement that needs to take place. Looking forward to being on our home field Saturday as Lochlan (Radloff) and Oscar (Hernandez) will pitch those games and seeing good performances from them. "

"I thought we played well enough to win the game," said redshirt sophomore Connor O'Sullivan. "We have been working on driving in more runs as an offense and I thought we accomplished that today. The pitching staff kept us in the game and shut down Daytona State's rallies. There are some things we would like to clean up, but it's alway good to get a conference win, especially because these games are not easy but we got it done today."

"I thought we played ok today," said sophomore Walker Vanecek. "The game was a little more sloppier than what we're used to, but a win is a win. It feels good to be on the winning side of conference and we need to continue this momentum into this Saturday and the next series."

"Overall, we did really well," said freshman Aidan Ray. "We put the bat to the ball when we had to. We did leave a few runners stranded on base, but we're not going to be perfect every time. It still felt great being on the winning side of conference play. We just have to keep trying to get better as a team and that's what we did today. We had a great team win, everybody contributed and we took the 'W'."

Hill II sent sophomore Landon O'Donnell (0-1, 4.91 ERA) to start game one while Daytona State head coach Tim Touma went with sophomore Xavier Pelzer (0-3, 5.19) to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Falcons would open on the board first in the bottom of the second thanks to RBI singles by Ian DeVos and Chase Wilson for a 3-0 lead before O'Donnell was able to get out of the inning.

At the top of the third, the Manatees would get their first runs on the board beginning with sophomores CJ Richard and Mario Trivella getting hit by a pitch before classmates Walker Vanecek and Allan Gil Fernandez sent back-to-back RBI singles to bring them in. After sophomore Hayden Gustavson loaded the bases with a bunt single, freshman Ben Ryan would send a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Vanecek before classmate Ryan Kaitz gave the Manatees a 4-3 lead after bringing in Gil Fernandez with a double to left before Touma brought in freshman Dylan Mullan to finish the third.

In the bottom of the fourth, after putting two runners on base, Hill II would pull O'Donnell and send freshman Aidan Ray to the mound before the Falcons tied the game off of a sacrifice fly by freshman Connor Guy, but two strikeouts from the Alaskan would help the Manatees end the fourth.

The top of the fifth saw the Manatees saw the Manatees regain the lead. After Vanecek (hit by a pitch), Gil Fernandez (walk) and Gustavson (single) loaded the bases, Ryan would send a single to left to bring in Vanecek before Kaitz hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Gil Fernandez. One batter later and a balk putting both runners in scoring position, O'Sullivan would come in to pinch hit and on a 2-2 count, he would hit a pop single past the shortstop to center to bring in Gustavson and Ryan for an 8-4 SCF lead.

The Falcons would bring in a run in the bottom of the seventh after a solo home run by sophomore Derek Lopez for his third of the season to make it 8-5 still in SCF's favor, but even with two runners on base, Ray was able to get another strikeout on the board to end the seventh.

At the top of the eighth, the Manatees would extend their lead as Vanecek would send a pop single to left to bring in Trivella for a 9-5 lead. One inning later, the Manatees would add their final runs on the board. After a leadoff pinch hit single by freshman Mattie Counts and a double by Sullivan, Counts would score on a wild pitch while Sullivan advanced to third. After Richard was hit by a pitch, Trivella would bring in Sullivan with an RBI groundout to make it 11-6 SCF before they sealed the victory.

O'Donnell would earn a no-decision after giving up four runs on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Ray would earn his first collegiate win after giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings of relief, while sophomore Frank Villella threw a third of a scoreless inning of relief.

"I felt amazing on the mound," said Ray. "My fastball felt pretty firm and I felt I could place my slider where I wanted to. Overall, I just felt very whippy out there."

Pelzer would fall to 0-4 after giving up four runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two and a third innings.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Vanecek that lead the way as he finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.

"I felt good," said Vanecek. "I kept my approach simple while trying to find barrels and put the ball in play."

O'Sullivan (2-for-3), Ryan (2-for-4) and Gustavson (2-for-4) would round out the order with two hits each. O'Sullivan and Ryan added two RBI and one run each, while Gustavson added one run, one walk and one stolen base.

"It was a nice contribute to the offensive performance today," said O'Sullivan. "I think all of us are hoping that today propels us to continue to have productive at-bats."

O'Sullivan stated that facing his former team was not awkward at all as he transferred from Daytona State for this season.

"I have a great relationship with those coaches and still have a lot of friends that are still on the team," said O'Sullivan. "It was nice to see all of them again today and compete against them on the field."

Richard (1-for-4, one run), Gil Fernandez (1-for-2, two runs, one RBI and two walks), Kaitz (1-for-2, two RBI and one walk) and Counts (1-for-1, one run) had the remaining four hits.

For the Falcons, DeVos, Lopez and Guy each had two hits, while Wilson lead the offense after going 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Seminole State College of Florida 10, Eastern Florida State 0

Hillsborough 5, #2 Florida Southwestern 1

#15 Indian River State 14, Santa Fe 6

Polk State 8, Miami Dade 3

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #2 Florida Southwestern (15-4-1, 5-2)

2. Seminole State College of Florida (14-6, 5-2)

3. Polk State (13-10, 5-2)

4. #15 Indian River State (13-6, 4-3)

5. SCF (13-7, 4-3)

6. Santa Fe (11-10, 4-3)

7. Hillsborough (9-9, 4-3)

8. #9 Central Florida (14-4, 3-3)

9. Eastern Florida State (12-8, 3-4)

10. Miami Dade (8-11, 2-5)

11. St. Petersburg (3-13-1, 1-5)

12. Daytona State (3-15, 1-6)

Up Next:

The Manatees return home to Robert C. Wynn Field to go for the series sweep against Daytona State.

SCF Outscores Seminole State

Bradenton, Fla - After falling in their conference opener, the RV SCF baseball team (9-5, 2-1 Citrus) were able to take their first series of Citrus Conference play as they swept Seminole State (8-6, 1-2 Citrus) at Wynn Field 16-3 (5) and 12-1 (6) by mercy rule at Wynn Field.

"It certainly was a good day on our home field today," said head coach Tim Hill II. "The guys played well in all phases of the game. It was two dominating performances that were good to see after a really tough loss at Seminole State's place Thursday where we felt that we gave the game away. We obviously had really good hitting with the number of runs we put up, but the pitching was outstanding and so was our defense. Conference series are always tough, so it's nice to win the first one."

"I thought we played a great two games," said sophomore Oscar Hernandez. "We came out aggressive and attacked early while not letting up, which made the difference between good teams and great teams. I'm super happy with how we played today. Just being able to take the first conference series was huge as it's going to set the tone for the rest of the season. We showed we could bounce back after a tough loss, which I thought showed the heart the team has."

"Overall, I felt the team played the best baseball we have played this whole season," said freshman Lochlan Radloff. "The energy was very high the whole game and we played clean baseball the whole day. We had great hitting with runners on base. It felt amazing to win the first series, so I think our team will win a bunch this year because we're a very talented as a group."

"I felt like the team did amazing today overall, especially after dropping a tough one on Thursday," said freshman Myles Davis. "We were able to stay focused and determined with good energy throughout a long day, which was amazing. Taking the first series is very nice. Just being able to set the tone for the rest of the series and season was very good to have to bounce back."

Game One:

For game one, Hill II sent Radloff to the mound for the start, while Seminole State head coach Mike Nicholson went with redshirt freshman Austin Waring.

The Manatees would once again open on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first inning. After sophomores CJ Richard and Hayden Gustavson drew back-to-back walks before moving to scoring position on a groundout, freshman Ben Ryan would send a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Richard before classmate Ryan Kaitz sent a single to left to bring in Gustavson for a 2-0 SCF lead.

The bottom of the second would then see the Manatees put together an onslaught of runs beginning with a leadoff single by sophomore Mario Trivella before freshman Clayton Evans reached first on a fielder's choice with Trivella called out at second. After Richard reached on a fielder's choice of his own, before stealing second, Evans would then score on a balk before Gustavson was hit by a pitch and freshman Myles Davis drew a walk to load the bases. Ryan would then pop a single to center to bring in Richard while Kaitz brought in Gustavson and Davis with a single of his own. Sophomore Luke Boykin would then showcase his power as he sent a three-run homer to left-center for his third of the season before sophomore Allan Gil Fernandez sent a solo home run to left for his third of the season to make it 10-0 SCF.

"Allan has been struggling a little bit at the plate, but it was good to see him have a couple of nice at-bats and Luke has been swinging the bat well," said Hill II on Gil Fernandez and Boykin.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would add their final runs on the board beginning with a leadoff triple by Richard before he scored on a wild pitch. After Gustavson (hit by a pitch), Davis (single) and Ryan (walk) loaded the bases, Kaitz would send a single to righ to bring in Gustavson before Boykin drove in Davis after getting hit by a pitch and Gil Fernandez drove in Ryan with a sacrifice fly. Following Trivella drawing a walk to reload the bases, Evans would send a single to right and bring in Kaitz and Boykin for a 16-0 lead.

The Raiders would eventually get on the board at the top of the fourth after an RBI triple by redshirt freshman Lane Sparkman and a sacrifice fly by classmate Anthony Saleeba. One inning later, redshirt sophomore Erwin Cabassa would send a solo home run to left, but it would be all the Raiders could produce as the Manatees took game one.

Radloff would improve to 1-1 after throwing a five-inning complete game, giving up three runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

"I felt pretty good," said Radloff. "I felt as if a lot of my offspeed was working. Also, I had a great defense behind me to make a bunch of plays and secure that win for us."

Waring would fall to 1-2 after giving up 10 runs on seven hits with three walks and one strikeout in one and a third inning. Freshman Chris Fargot would give up six runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings of relief.

Kaitz would lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 3-for-3 with a home run, four RBI and two runs. Boykin would follow with a multi-hit and multi-RBI game of his own as he went 2-for-2 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored.

Richard (1-for-3, three runs, one walk and one stolen base), Davis (1-for-2, two runs and one walk), Gil Fernandez (1-for-2, one home run and two RBI), Trivella (1-for-1, two walks), Ryan (1-for-2, two runs, two RBI and one walk) and Evans (1-for-3, one run and two RBI) had the remaining six hits for the Manatees.

The Raiders were held to five hits with Cabassa leading the offense with a home run.

Game Two:

For game two, Hill II sent sophomore Oscar Hernandez to the mound, while Nicholson went with sophomore Carter Krawchuk to counter.

The Manatees would open on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the first. After freshmen Holden Brauner and Mattie Counts hit back-to-back singles, Counts would steal second and advance to third on a throwing error, while Brauner scored for the first run before Counts made it 2-0 after scoring on a wild pitch. The Raiders would cut the lead to 2-1 at the top of the second after an RBI double by freshman Juan Orozco. It would barely faze the Manatees as they extend the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third after Counts lined a triple to right-center to bring in Brauner.

After the fourth inning went scoreless, the Manatees would increase their lead further in the bottom of the fifth. After a one-out single by Brauner before advancing to scoring position on a wild pitch, Counts would send a double to right and bring in Brauner before Gustavson brought Counts in with an infield single to the pitcher to make it 5-1 SCF.

In the bottom of the sixth, SCF decided to ended the game from here with a big inning of runs. After Ryan (single), Boykin (hit by a pitch) and Trivella (single) loaded the bases, sophomore Connor O'Sullivan would send a single to center to bring in Ryan. One batter later, Counts would draw a walk and bring in Boykin before Gustavson sent a double to right-center to bring in Trivella and O'Sullivan. All eyes would turn towards Davis on a 1-2 count as the Marion, Iowa native would tower a three-run homer to left for his first collegiate home run and walk it off to seal the series for the Manatees.

"Felt amazing in that moment," said Davis on his first home run. "Just knowing the team had a lot of trust in me and additionally me having trust in them and I believe anybody who was in that spot on this team would have came up and did the job. This is just the type of team we have."

"Myles is one of our best hitters," said Hill II on Davis. "We can count on him to drive in runs."

Hernandez would improve to 3-1 after throwing a one-hit complete game, giving up one run with three strikeouts.

"I felt great today on the mound," said Hernandez. "Today was one of those day you try to cherish as a baseball player because this game is hard, but I couldn't have had the outing I had without everyone behind me. I'm very blessed and happy to have such a great group of guys battling with and to have helped my team win today."

Crawchuk would fall to 1-2 after giving up 11 runs (10 earned) on 12 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in five and two-thirds innings. Freshman Jai Sample would give up one run on one hit in no innings of relief.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Counts that lead the way as he went 3-for-3 with three RBI, three runs, one walk and one stolen base. Braun would follow finishing 3-for-4 with three runs. 

"I thought Holden and Mattie really set the tone for the offense in the second game and Holden played a really good centerfield," said Hill II on Brauner and Counts.

Gustavson (2-for-4) and Davis (2-for-4) rounded out the order with two hits, one run and three RBI each. Ryan (1-for-1, one run), Trivella (1-for-3, one run) and O'Sullivan (1-for-3, one run and one RBI) had the remaining three hits for the Manatees.

Orozco lead the way for the Raiders with the only hit as he went 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Miami Dade (7-7, 2-1 Citrus) split with RV Central Florida (11-3, 1-2 Citrus) winning game one 6-5 before losing game two 6-5. The Sharks will take on Seminole State Thursday, February 20 and Saturday, February 22, while the Patriots take on Tallahassee State (5-8) Tuesday, February 18.

Daytona State (2-10, 1-2 Citrus) split with #22 Indian River State (10-3, 2-1 Citrus) winning game one 6-0 before losing game two 9-1. The Falcons will take on Community College of Baltimore County Cantonsville (0-2) Monday, February 17, while the Pioneers take on Elevate Academy Tuesday night, February 18.

Hillsborough (5-8, 1-2 Citrus) split with Eastern Florida State (10-5, 2-1 Citrus) losing game one 8-2 before winning game two 6-5. The Hawks will take on Webber International University JV Tuesday night, February 18. The Titans will take on Palm Beach State (3-10) Monday night, February 17.

Polk State (9-8, 2-1 Citrus) split with Santa Fe (7-9, 1-2 Citrus) winning game one 8-4 before losing game two 6-5. The Eagles will take on South Florida State (11-5) Tuesday night, Tuesday night, February 18, while the Saints take on Pasco Hernando State (11-4) Tuesday afternoon, February 18.

#4 Florida Southwestern (13-1, 3-0 Citrus) swept St. Pete College (2-11, 0-3 Citrus) 7-6 and 13-2 (5). The Buccaneers will take on TNXL Academy Tuesday afternoon, February 18, while the Titans take on Lake Sumter State (11-4) Wednesday afternoon, February 19.

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #4 FSW (13-1, 3-0)

2. #22 Indian River State (10-3, 2-1)

3. Eastern Florida State (10-5, 2-1)

4. RV SCF (9-5, 2-1)

5. Polk State (9-8, 2-1)

6. Miami Dade (7-7, 2-1)

7. RV Central Florida (11-3, 1-2)

8. Seminole State College of Florida (8-6, 1-2)

9. Santa Fe (7-9, 1-2)

10. Hillsborough (5-8, 1-2)

11. Daytona State (2-10, 1-2)

12. St. Pete (2-11, 0-3)

Up Next:

The Manatees will take a short breather from conference play as they travel to Tampa to take on the University of Tampa JV (5-1) at the U of Tampa Baseball Field Tuesday night, February 18 at 6 pm.

SCF Baseball Completes Sweep Over St. Pete

Bradneton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (30-24, 17-16 Citrus) closed their season on a strong note as they completed their first sweep in conference after defeating St. Pete College (17-31, 10-23 Citrus) 9-1 and 14-9.

"It was nice to finally sweep a team today with two wins," said head coach Tim Hill II. "While we did end the season on a positive note, it was a very disappointing season overall as we came shy of making the playoffs by one game. I look to focus on building a team for the 2025 season that can get back to the tournament."

Game One:

Hill II sent sophomore Brandon Clarke (5-2, 4.67 ERA) to start game one, while Titans head coach Oscar Espada went with sophomore Esad Pena (5-4, 6.02 ERA) to counter.

At the top of the first, Titans would get on the board early after an RBI single by freshman Carlos Sanchez before Clarke finished the top of the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, the Manatees would respond back beginning with a leadoff single by Almonte, which would be followed with a stolen base before moving to third on a throwing error. After Hairston drew a walk and stolen second, Almonte would score on a balk to tie the game at 1-1 before sophomore Santiago Ordonez would send a single to right-center to bring in Hairston made it 2-1 SCF. Following Ordonez's single, freshman Walker Vanecek would bring in his power as he hit a two-run homer to left for his fifth of the season to make it 4-1 SCF.

After the next two innings went scoreless, the Manatees would increase their lead in the bottom of the fourth beginning with a leadoff single by sophomore Preston Wetherell. After freshman Mario Trivella was hit by a pitch, Almonte would send a single to right and bring in Wetherell before Trivella scored on a fielding error and Almonte advance to third on the same error. After Gil-Fernandez was hit by a pitch, Ordonez would send a hard single to left to bring in Almonte to make it 7-1 SCF.

One inning later, the Manatees would put their final runs on the board beginning with a leadoff walk by freshman Luke Boykin. After Trivella was hit by a pitch and both runners advanced to third on a wild pitch, Almonte would line a single to left to bring in Boykin and Trivella to make it 9-1 SCF before sealing the victory.

Clarke would improve to 6-2 after giving up one unearned run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts in five innings. Freshman Daniel Hartley would throw two scoreless innings of relief with one walk and two strikeouts.

Pena would fall to 5-5 after giving up seven runs (six earned) on seven hits with two walks and one strikeout in four innings. Freshman Andres Bermudez would give up two runs on two hits with two walks in two innings of relief.

Almonte would lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs and two stolen bases. Ordonez would also finish with a multi-hit as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

Vanecek (1-for-4, one home run and two RBI), Hairston (1-for-3, one run, one walk and one stolen base), Wetherell (1-for-4, one run) and sophomore Luis Garrido (1-for-4, one stolen base) had the remaining hits, while Gil-Fernadez (one walk and one stolen base), Boykin (one run and one walk) and Trivella (two runs and one walk) also contributed in the game.

For the Titans, sophomores Colton Pizzio and Jordan Smiley and freshman Carlos Sanchez each had one of three hits.

Game Two:

Looking to complete the sweep, Hill II sent redshirt freshman Palmer O'Beirne (6-1, 5.15 ERA) to start the final game of the season, while Espada went with freshman Jose Zayas (2-3, 5.40 ERA).

The Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the first as Ordonez would send a double to right-center to bring in Gil-Fernandez for the first run of the game. At the top of the second, the Titans would tie the game thanks to a solo home run by Sanchez for his fourth of the season before they took a 3-1 lead thanks to an RBI single by sophomore RJ Gutierrez and a run scoring on an error. The lead would increase to 7-1 for the next three innings thanks an RBI groundout by sophomore Diego Aponte and a run on a wild pitch (third inning), an RBI single by sophomore Brett Wagner (fourth inning) and an RBI single by Gutierrez (fifth inning).

After holding the Titans scoreless at the top of the sixth, the Manatees would then respond in the bottom half of the inning. After back-to-back singles by Hairston and Gil-Fernandez and Vanecek drawing a walk to load the bases, Garrido would send a single to center to bring in Hairston and Gil-Fernadez. After freshman Hayden Gustavson hit a single to reload the bases, Trivella would draw a bases-loaded walk and bring in Vanecek before Garrido scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-5 still in St. Pete's favor.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees would go on a scoring rally to go for the lead. After Ordonez reached base on a dropped third strike, Vanecek and Garrido would hit back-to-back single to load the bases before Ordonez and Vanecek scored on back-to-back wild pitches to tie the game at 7-7. After Gustavson drew a walk, Garrido would score on a wild pitch to give the Manatees an 8-7 before Trivella would show his power as he did in the opening game on Thursday as he towered a two-run blast to left for his second home run of the season. After a two-out single by Almonte, Hairston would send a double to center to bring in Almonte before Gil-Fernandez would send a two-run blast of his own to left for his 10th of the season.

The Manatees would then add their final run of the game as Almonte would send a double to center to bring in freshman Collin Mastromauro for a 14-7 lead. The Titans would add two runs at the top of the ninth after a sacrifice fly by Gutierrez and an RBI single by freshman Jose Rangel, but it would all the Titans could produce as a final double play sealed the victory and sweep for the Manatees.

O'Beirne and Zayas would each earn a no-decision. O'Beirne would give up five runs (four earned) on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts in three innings, while Zayas gave up five runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts in five and a third innings.

Wetherell would improve to 2-3 after giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and one strikeout in three innings of relief. Freshman Dylan DeLeo gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits in three innings of relief.

Sophmore Owen Marsh would fall to 3-6 after giving up seven runs (four earned) on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in one and a third inning of relief. Freshman John Aponte would five up two runs on five hits with three strikeouts in one and a third innings of relief.

All nine Manatees in the starting lineup had at least one hit with seven Manatees having a multi-hit game. It was Gil-Fernandez and Hairston that lead the way in hitting as they each had three hits. Gil-Fernandez (3-for-5) added two RBI and three runs, while Hairston (3-for-6) added two runs scored and one RBI. Hairston would finish 4-for-9 at the plate in both games.

Almonte would finish 2-for-5 with an RBI, one run and one walk and finished 5-for-9 with four RBI.

Garrido (2-for-4), Ordonez (2-for-5), Vanecek (2-for-5) and Gustavson (2-for-4) rounded out the order in hitting as they each had two hits. Garrido added two runs and two RBI, while Ordonez added one run and one RBI, Vanecek added two runs and one walk and Gustavson added one run and one walk.

Trivella lead the way in offense as he went 1-for-4, with a home run, three RBI, one run and one walk, while Mastromauro went 1-for-4 with one run.

For the Titans, Wagner lead the way in hitting as he went 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run, while Sanchez followed going 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI.

Up Next:

This concludes the 2024 season for the Manatees. They will focus on the 2025 season in January.