SCF Softball Sweeps South Florida State

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.

SCF Softball Takes Series Over FSCJ with Split

Jacksonville, Fla. - The SCF softball team (4-8, 4-8 Sun Lakes) were able to take their series over Florida State College at Jacksonville (14-21, 5-7 Sun Lakes) on the road with a split winning game one 6-0 before losing game two 8-7.

Game One:

Head coach Brett Sauerwein sent freshman A'Lana Martinez to the mound to start game one, while FSCJ head coach Sabrina Hartsell sent freshman Alexis Laura to counter.

The first three innings were a pitcher's duel between A. Martinez and Laura. At the top of the fourth, the Manatees would be the ones to get on the board first beginning with a leadoff walk by freshman Joni Taylor. After a double by classmate Bri Thies, Taylor would take the opportunity and score by stealing home. After sophomore Abigayle Smith drew a walk before freshman Brooke-Lynn Hilderbrand moved Thies and Smith into scoring position, sophomore Kamryn Martinez would single to center to bring in Thies before Smith scored after stealing home. After A. Martinez and freshman Josie Alderson drew back-to-back walks before moving to scoring position on a passed ball, Alderson would then score on a second passed ball before freshman Kaitlyn Shea hit an infield single to third to bring in A. Martinez for a 5-0 SCF lead.

The Manatees would add one final run at the top of the sixth as Alderson would score from a Manta Ray error before sealing the win.

A. Martinez would improve to 3-3 after throwing a shutout with eight hits and four walks. She was also 1-for-3 with a run at the plate.

Laura would fall to 4-7 after giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits with five walks and one strikeout in six and two-thirds innings. Freshman Brittani Murray would give up two runs (one earned) with two walks in one-third of an inning of relief.

Theis would lead the way in hitting as she went 2-for-3 with a run and a walk. Shea (1-for-3, one RBI and one stolen base), K. Martinez (1-for-4, one RBI) and Alderson (1-for-1, two runs and two walks) had the remaining three hits

Game Two:

For game two, Sauerwein sent Hilderbrand to the mound, while Hartsell went with freshman Kailey Walker.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees got on the board first at the second as Alderson drove a single to bring in Hilderbrand. The Manatees would increase their lead at the top of the third beginning with A. Martinez reaching on an error and Shea singling to left. Thies would then make a sacrifice bunt to move the runners in scoring position for freshman Kierstyn Aumua who would bring in A. Martinez and Shea with a single to make it 3-0 SCF.

The Manta Rays would then get on the board in the bottom of the third and tie the game after an RBI single freshman Brooklyn Davis, a bunt single by freshman Peyton Studt and an RBI fielder's choice by freshman Taylor Burton.

The Manatees would retake the lead as Hilderbrand single and second second and third base before stealing home to make it 4-3 before Aumua hit a solo home run to center for her first collegiate home run to make 5-3. The Manta Rays would retake the lead in the bottom half of the inning after a sacrifice fly by Masey Padgett and a two-run single by Riley Page to make it 6-5 FSCJ.

At the top of the sixth, Smith would tie the game with a solo home run to center for her first of the season before Hilderbrand hit an inside the park home run for her first collegiate home run of the season to make it 7-6 to retake the lead. The Manta Rays would eventually win the game in the bottom of the seventh on a walkoff sacrifice fly to win the game.

Hilderbrand would fall to 1-5 after giving up eight runs (five earned) on nine hits with five walks in six innings, while going 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run, two runs and four stolen bases. A. Martinez threw two-thirds of a scoreless inning and went 1-for-4 with a run at the plate

Walker earned a no-decision after she gave up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits with two walks and one strikeout in five and two-third innings. Laura would earn the win and improve to 5-7 after throwing one and a third scoreless innings of relief with one strikeout.

Aumua would be the offensive leader as she went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, while Smith rounded out the order going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

Shea (1-for-4, one run) and Alderson (1-for-2, one RBI) had the remaining hits for the Manatees.

Up Next:

The Manatees return to action as they face #2 ranked St. John's River State (31-9, 11-1 Sun Lakes) for their next conference series.

SCF Softball Secures First Win Under New Era

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF softball team (1-3, 1-3 Sun Lakes) were able to pull away with their first win of the 2025 season under a new era and their first win in Sun Lakes Conference play as they defeated South Florida State (3-17, 0-4 Sun Lakes) 9-6 at home.

"I thought the team did a good job of bending, but not breaking," said head coach Brett Sauerwein. "This team is a resilient group and they dug down deep in the sixth inning and refused to lose. It was a great team effort."

Sauerwein sent freshman A'Lana Martinez to start on the mound, while South Florida State head coach Carlos Falla went with Joey Gray to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would draw on the board first in the bottom of the second. After a double by freshman Kierstyn Aumua and a single by classmate Brooke-Lynn Hilderbrand, freshman Bri Thies would bring in Aumua with a sacrifice fly. One batter later, freshman Josie Alderson would bring home Hilderbrand with a single to left for a 2-0 lead. 

The Panthers would then score their first run at the top of the fourth off of an RBI single by Kylah Davis. In the following inning, they would take a 5-2 lead after an RBI double by Nicole Rivera and RBI singles by Davis, Gray and Grayson Wojcicchon before Ava Matrascia made it 6-2 after an RBI single of her own at the top of the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Manatees would not lent and put together their biggest rally beginning with a one-out double by sophomore Kamryn Martinez before freshman Joni Taylor sent a double of her own to center to bring in Martinez before classmate Jasmin Huber came in to pinch run. Classmate Kaitlyn Shea then reached base on a Panther error with Huber scoring. After A'Lana Martinez and sophomore Abigayle Smith drew back-to-back walks to load the bases, Aumua would give the Manatees a boost as the Hawaiian would send a single to center to bring in Shea and Alana Martinez to tie the game at 6-6. Hilderbrand would then hit an infield single to bring in Smith before Thies drove in the final runs with a single to left to bring in Aumua and Hilderbrand for a 9-6 SCF lead before sealing the victory.

"The turning point for the team was the patient at-bats we had in the sixth when we put up seven runs in that inning," said Sauerwein. 

A'Lana Martinez would earn the win after throwing a complete game with two strikeouts. She would improve to 1-1 on the year.

"A'Lana did a great job in the circle and keeping us in the game," said Sauerwin on Martinez. "While she comes from a baseball background and didn't pitch in softball for a long time, she was a major factor in this win.

Gray would earn a no-decision after giving up two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts in five innings. Alexandra Messina would fall to 2-4 after giving up seven runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and one strikeout in one inning of relief.

Four Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Thies that lead the way offensively as she went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Aumua would follow going 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and one walk, while Hilderbrand rounded out the order going 2-for-4 with two runs, one RBI and one stolen base.

Shea (1-for-4, one run), Smith (1-for-2, one run and two walks), Kamryn Martinez (1-for-3, one run), Alderson (1-for-3, one RBI) and Taylor (1-for-1, one RBI) had the remaining five hits.

For the Panthers, Davis would lead the way offensively as she went 2-for-2 with two RBI, two walks and a stolen base.

Notes:

• This was the first win under Sauerwein's leadership

"Getting my first win felt great," said Sauerwein. "I give a shoutout to Auria (Mounts) and Nick (Cichielo) for helping me out and believing in me and the future of the program."

Other Sun Lakes Conference Scores:

#3 St John's River State 5, Lake Sumter State 3

Pasco Hernando State 8, Florida Gateway 0 (5)

Sun Lakes Conference Standings:

1. #3 St. John's River State (20-8, 4-0)

2. Pasco Hernando State (13-10, 1-0)

3. Florida Gateway College (15-15, 3-1)

4. Lake Sumter State (8-8, 3-1)

5. SCF (1-3, 1-3) 

6. Florida State College at Jacksonville (7-15, 0-3)

7. South Florida State (3-17, 0-4)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to go for the sweep against South Florida State with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, March 1 at 1 and 3 pm at Panther Field in Avon Park.

Sauerwein Named SCF Head Softball Coach

Bradenton, Fla -  The SCF softball team have made changes in their coaching staff as they welcome Brett Sauerwein as the new head coach. Sauerwein joins the Manatees after spending the previous season as the assistant at McKendree University (NCAA DII) in O'Fallon, Illinois and will be the second male head coach in SCF softball program history (Jeffery Roberts, 1999-2007).

"First off, I want to thank Nick (Cichielo) for believing in me to usher this program into a new era," said Sauerwein. "Florida JUCO softball holds a very special place in my heart and I'm very excited to lead this program to national prominence. The goal for the program is to play a fast paced and fundementally sound brand of softball and I'm excited to get on campus and get to work."

A native of Troy, Illinois, Sauerwein graduated from McKendree University where he graduated with his bachelor's in leadership in sports and exercise science and became a graduate assistant (2015) before receiving his master's degree in sports management at Missouri Baptist University (NAIA) where he became an assistant coach for the varsity squad as well as the head coach for the junior varsity squad for the Spartans while piling on 80+ wins, which included a school record 31 wins in 2017.

Sauerwein would then make the move to southwest Florida as he became assistant coach for Ave Maria University (NAIA) for the next three seasons (2019-21) before taking a position as assistant coach for Florida Southwestern (FSW) where he helped the Buccaneers to win back-to-back NJCAA JUCO Softball World Series Championships.

After two seasons with the Buccaneers, Sauerwein would return to his alma mater McKendree where he would help the Bearcats to the semifinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournamant (GLVC) this past season.

Sauerwein will look to guide the Manatees to the postseason for 2025 under their new leadership.