SCF Tennis Resumes Conference Play

Bradenton, Fla - The #6 SCF tennis team (2-0, 1-0 Region 8) will look to claim another win in conference play as they travel to Tampa to face-off against longtime conference foe Hillsborough at the HCC Tennis Center Friday afternoon, February 18 at noon.

Originally, the Manatees were scheduled to welcome Central Alabama Community College to the SCF Tennis Complex on February 22, but that meetup was cancelled.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of their best start to the season as they swept #9 Eastern Florida State 9-0 on the road. It was the first time since 2019 that the Manatees swept their opponent.

In doubles action, sophomores Kia Carvalho-Landell and Carly Gascon Martinez, who are #4 in the nation in doubles are 2-0 this season. In fact, all three teams, which include #17 sophomores Sarah Forsyth and Luna Mouton, are 2-0.

In singles play, five of the six players are 2-0. Gascon Martinez, who is ranked #33 in the nation, is 1-1 after winning her singles match at the #1 singles spot against her former team in Eastern Florida State.

Scouting Hillsborough:

This will be the Hawks' season opener after they finished last season 6-0 overall with a 6-0 record in Region 8 play. They are coming off of competing in five scrimmages prior to their season opener against Nova Southeastern University, Florida Southern College, Barry University, University of Tampa and Rollins College.

The Manatees are 9-9 against the Hawks.

Livestats will be provided on ioncourt.com

Link: https://ioncourt.com/ties/62016352c7d307efde9ee95f

SCF Softball Back on the Road @ Santa Fe

Bradenton, Fla - After completing their home opener Thursday, the SCF softball team (7-3) return on the road for their next six games. The Manatees will first travel to Gainesville to take on Santa Fe College (8-4) for a doubleheader at the Santa Fe Softball Complex Tuesday afternoon, February 15 at 1 and 3 pm. 

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of completing their home opener where they split with #13 College of Central Florida where they won the first game 6-5 before losing and being hitless in the second game 9-0 in five innings.

Freshmen Chantell Schurr, Gabi Nicholson and Olivia Siebert lead the path on the Manatees offense and basepaths. 

Schurr leads the team with two home runs while batting .364 with eight hits and seven RBI, while Nicholson leads the team with eight RBI while batting .333 with 10 hits and Siebert leads the team batting .433 with 13 hits, six RBI and four stolen bases.

On the mound, sophomores Samantha Hampton and Gracie Mullett lead the way in pitching. Hampton is currently 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA, six walks and 20 strikeouts, while Mullett is 3-2 with a 2.49 ERA, one save, five walks and 19 strikeouts.

Wild Cards:

Sophomores Mya Achenbach, Allie Bloski and Tori Copeland and freshman Presley O'Kimosh play big roles as the wildcards in the rotation.

Achenbach is currently batting .290 with a home run and four RBI. She was 1-for-5 with a home run against CCF.

Despite batting .111, Bloski still has four RBI in her name, which include a big two-RBI double against CCF.

Copeland is batting .400 with six hits and two stolen bases. She was 1-for-4 against CCF.

O'Kimosh is batting .296 with eight hits and five RBI.

Scouting Santa Fe:

The Lady Saints are coming off of sweeping their series over St. Pete College by scores of 2-1 and 15-0 (5).

Freshman Story Giebeig leads the team offensively batting .333 with four home runs and 14 RBI. Classmate Oliva Larkin leads overall with a .375 with 15 hits and 10 stolen bases.

On the mound, freshman Darian Ingram leads the way going 3-2 with a 1.24 ERA, five walks and 38 strikeouts.

Series History:

The Manatees are 22-8 against the Lady Saints.

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and will air on the Saints Sports Network

Links:

GameChanger Link - https://gc.com/game-61e6e1a58c08fc75d0346a10

Livestream Link - https://santafesaints.com/SaintsSportsNetwork

SCF Tennis Takes Conference Opener

Melbourne, Fla - The #6 SCF tennis team (2-0, 1-0 Region 8) showed up ready at the Titan Tennis Center in Melbourne as they shutout #9 Eastern Florida State College (0-1) 9-0 for their first clean sweep of the season.

“It felt awesome to open conference with a win and I couldn't be happier for the team,” said head coach Chloe Murphy. "To be seeing what they've been working on in practice pay off and see their confidence growing match by match, as a coach it's great to see them start to believe in themselves as much as I do."

"I couldn't be happier with the performance. As always, there are things we can work on and things we will improve on, but the ladies came out and fought hard on every court, the energy and grit they showed today was first class."

“It felt so good because we worked so hard and so much for this big win in the first match of conference,” said sophomore Carlota “Carly” Gascon Martinez.

Doubles would get underway in the Manatees favor as the duo of #4 Gascon Martinez and sophomore Kia Carvalho-Landell (2-0) defeated sophomore Kayla Greco and freshman Kanna Kobayakawa 8-3 at No. 1 doubles. Sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet and freshman Saku Suzuki would follow with an 8-2 win against the freshman duo of Simona Karlsson and Luisa Renovales at No. 2 doubles before the sophomore duo of #17 Luna Mouton and Sarah Forsyth completed the sweep as they defeated the freshman duo of Paige Noble Lucas and Dana Bryan 8-6 at No. 3 doubles to make the score 3-0 SCF. All three doubles pairs are now 2-0.

With singles play underway and the Manatees only needing to win of them, Forsyth would win the first match over Lucas via retire at No. 4 singles before freshman Jessica Bustamante sealed the winner by defeating Bryan 6-2, 6-3 at No. 6 singles. 

Singles play continued as #30 Carvalho-Landell defeated Karlsson 6-4, 7-5 at No. 3 singles before Suzuki defeated Renovales 2-6, 6-0, 11-9 in three sets at No. 5 singles and #12 De Freitas Bonet defeated Greco 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 at No. 2 singles.

Gascon Martinez, who is ranked #33 in the nation, would finish with her toughest matchup as she finished her match against Kobayakawa at No. 1 singles as she won in three sets of 7-5, 6-7, 10-5.

"I am really happy about my match,” said Gascon Martinez. “It could have been better, but I am happy for the win at the #1 singles position and in the first match of conference. Coach Chloe has helped me a lot during the second set and the 10 point tie break.”

For Gascon Martinez, it was also a little nerve racking moment for her as she transferred from Eastern Florida and playing against them did have some setbacks.

“I was really nervous playing,” said Gascon Martinez. “I just wanted to win and show my teammates why I’m here.”

"It's always an awkward situation to go back and play against your old team," said Murphy on Gascon Martinez's situation. "Carly handled the nerves excellently. It was a big day for her mentally and I'm so proud of her."

Up Next:

The Manatees will have another scrimmage against Flagler College (NCAA DII) Tuesday, February 15 before they travel to Tampa to take on Hillsborough CC Friday, February 18 at 12 pm.

SCF Baseball Gets First Home Win

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (4-5) were able to pull themselves together and get their first home win at Wynn Field as they defeated Pasco-Hernando State (3-5) 11-5.

"It's nice that we got the win at home," said head coach Tim Hill II. "When you're around good teams, those are hard to beat at their home park, so I was expecting to have this conversation Monday against Santa Fe, but we didn't play very well that night, but today was a new day and that's what is great about baseball. You don't have to wait so long before you get another crack at it."

"It felt great," said sophomore Kevin Karstetter. "I thought we played well as a team offensively. We strung together some timely hits and we swung the bat really. Our pitchers also did a good job of keeping us in the game."

"I thought we played really well today after coming off the loss in our home opener," said sophomore Harrison Long. "It was good to see the guys come back together and I thought we were good offensively with good pitching. We did struggle a little bit defensively, but we'll clean it up once we start clicking again and we'll be a really good team."

"Overall, our pitching came out really well and Christian Gordon came out good and threw well for us," said sophomore Kyle Harbison. "I love being back with the boys when they do good on the mound and it fires me up when Nick (Gottilla) and Mikey (Ojeda) came in and dominated. I couldn't complain on that."

Hill sent sophomore Christian Gordon to the mound, while Pasco head coach Lyndon Coleman sent redshirt freshman Cameron Kenny to counter.

The first two innings were scoreless for both teams and it included a big defensive double play made by sophomore Ben Gilbert in the first and Harbison catching a runner trying to steal to end the second.

In the bottom of the third, the Manatees would get in the run column first beginning with a one out single by Harbison. After Gilbert drew a walk, Karstetter would bring in Harbison with a single before sophomore Owen Ayers drew a walk to load the bases for Long. On a full count, Long would send a double to right to bring in Gilbert and Karstetter to make it 3-0 SCF.

"They were throwing me a lot of off speed pitches and when it was a full count, I was finding anything I could, so I saw a fastball and stayed with my approach and it got us on the board."

At the top of the fourth, the Bobcats would get their first run on the board as redshirt freshman Sean Sullivan would hit into a fielder's choice, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half after freshman Lucas Ismali was hit by a pitch before advancing to second on poor fielding and scoring on an RBI groundout by Harbison to make it 4-1 SCF.

At the top of the fifth, Hill would pull Gordon and send sophomore Nick Gottilla to the mound for a successful inning. In the bottom half, the Manatees would add on more to their lead. After Karstetter lead the inning off with a double before Ayers drew a walk, Coleman would pull Kenny and send freshman Cameron Lee to the mound for relief. Following the pitching change, Long would single to load the bases for sophomore Brandon Fields. On a 0-2 count, Fields would send a sacrifice fly to bring in Karstetter and move Ayers in scoring position. Freshman Tayden Hall would then send a sacrifice fly of his own and bring in Ayers to make it 6-1 SCF.

The Bobcats would score two at the top of the sixth after a Manatees fielding error to make it 6-3 still in SCF's favor. The Manatees however would respond back in the bottom half of the inning. After a lead-off double by sophomore Jake Jackson, Harbison would send a double of his own and bring in Jackson before Karstetter brought in Harbison with a double to make it 8-3 SCF.

The Bobcats would score a run from an RBI groundout by freshman Chay Yeager at the top of the seventh, but the Manatees would respond back in the bottom half. After a one-out double by Hall and Ismali getting hit by a pitch, Coleman would pull Lee and send sophomore Joel Rodriguez to the mound before Jackson drawing a walk to load the bases for Harbison as he would get hit by a pitch and bring in Hall. Following Gilbert striking out, Karstetter would single and bring in Ismali for a 10-3 lead.

Hill would make another pitching change as he would send freshman Michael Ojeda to the mound at the top of the eighth. The Bobcats would score their next run on an RBI single by sophomore Brandon Lawrence.

The Manatees would score their final run of the game as Hall would bring in Fields with an RBI groundout to make it 11-5 SCF. Ojeda would get one more push at the top of the ninth and get the final frame for the win at home.

Gordon would be credited with a no-decision after giving up one run on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts in four innings. Gottilla would get the win after giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in three innings of relief, while Ojeda gave up one run on four hits with five strikeouts in two innings of relief.

Kenny would be credited with the loss after giving up six runs on four hits with five walks and four strikeouts in four innings. Lee would give up four runs on five hits with one walk and three strikeouts in two and a third of relief, while Rodrigues gave up two runs on two hits with two strikeouts in one and two-thirds.

Karstetter would finish the game 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.

"I thought I was seeing the ball well," said Karstetter on his game. "I tried to take my best swing and put it in the at-bat. I felt like I did well."

"Kevin has been swinging the bat really well all year," said Hill on Karstetter. "We have a lot of guys that have been better than they have been before. They just have to keep swinging. We did also have some good backside hits from him as well."

Long and Harbison would each finish with two hits. Long (2-for-5) added two RBI, while Harbison (2-for-3) added three RBI and two runs.

"For my approach, I was looking for a fastball over the plate and he gave it to me in the first and third at-bats where he left it open for me and I ambushed the fastball and got the double off of it," said Harbison on his game.

Fields (1-for-4, one RBI), Hall (1-for-4, two RBI and one run) and Jackson (1-for-3, one run and one walk) had the remaining three hits for the Manatees.

Up Next:

The Manatees remain at home as they welcome Indian River State (5-2) Friday night, February 11 at 4 pm.

SCF Softball Gets Split Over CCF

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF softball team (7/8-3/2) opened up with their home opener at the SCF Softball Complex as they split their doubleheader over #13 College of Central Florida (8/7-4/3). The Manatees took game one 6-5 before winning/losing game two. With the sweep/split, the Manatees are now 15/14-23/22 against the Lady Patriots.

"I think what we're seeing is two different teams," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "Game one, our team came out really strong and fought every inning and we were very aggressive when we needed to be. Of course we still made mistakes, but we were able to come back from them. Game two was a different story for sure and we knew that Central Florida is a very strong team and our well-coached. They were going to come out really tough at making adjustments and they did and we didn't and that was the result of game two."

"It felt good to play at home," said Schuerman on the home opener. "I don't know who makes the decisions on picking the number three team in the state to play, but it's good for us to play teams like CCF. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best and we're going to continue playing a tough schedule against tough teams, but I think having that home field advantage is very helpful for us at times."

Game One:

For game one, Schuerman sent sophomore Samantha Hampton to the mound, while CCF head coach Mike Lingle went with freshman Emily Proctor.

At the top of the first, the Lady Patriots would get on the board first off of a Manatees fielding error, an RBI groundout by freshman Katie Hogue and an RBI single by classmate Alyssa Adams for a 3-0 CCF lead. The Manatees would respond to not get shutout as sophomore Mya Achenbach would send a solo homer to center for her first of the season and set the score to 3-1 still in CCF's favor.

In the bottom of the second, the Manatees continued fighting to stay alive. After back-to-back walks were drawn by sophomore Remi Hebert and Achenbach, freshman Olivia Siebert would send a double to center and bring Hebert and Achenbach to tie the game at 3-3.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Manatees would get their first lead. After back-to-back singles by sophomores Gracie Mullett and Tori Copeland and freshman Rylee Trice got hit by a pitch to load the bases, Lingle would pull Proctor and send freshman Katie Pierce to pitch to the mound for relief work.

After the pitching change, sophomore Alli Bloski would send a single to right to bring in Mullett and Copeland and give the Manatees the lead. Freshman Presley O'Kimosh would send a sacrifice fly to left and bring in Trice to for a 6-3 SCF lead.

"I just did what needed to be done," said Bloski on the hit. "I saw that I had the opportunity, so I took advantage of it and scored some runs and got us on top."

At the top of the fifth, the Lady Patriots would cut the Manatees lead to 6-5 thanks to an RBI triple by freshman Brooke Roberts and another RBI single by Hogue.

At the top of the sixth, Hampton was starting to struggle after a fielding error and hitting a batter with a pitch, but a strikeout and two big defensive groundouts.

The Lady Patriots would try to get one final gasp of life to at least tie the game, but with Hampton calm, cool and collected, the Lithia native was able to get the final strikeout for the win.

Hampton would get the win after throwing a complete game, giving up all five runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts. She is now 3-0 this season.

Proctor would fall to 2-1 after giving up all six runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Pierce would throw four scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit and striking out two.

Bloski would be the hero for game after going 1-for-3 with two RBI. Siebert would also go 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Achenbach (1-for-3, one home run, two runs), Mullett (1-for-3, one run) and Copeland (1-for-3, one run) had the remaining Manatee hits. O'Kimosh (one RBI) and Hebert (one run) also contributed in game one.

For the Lady Patriots, Roberts was the only player that had a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Hogue would be the only player to get a multi-RBI game as she went 1-for-4 with two RBI. 

Game Two:

Schuerman would send Hebert to the mound, while Lingle went with sophomore Savannah Barnett to counter.

After Hebert gave up four runs on three straight RBI doubles and an RBI single, Schuerman would make multiple defensive switches as she sent Hebert from the mound to first, Mullett from shortstop to the pitcher, O'Kimosh would move from catcher to second base, freshman Chantel Schurr would move from second to short and freshman Gabi Nicholson would move from first to catcher.

After the switch, the Lady Patriots would get another run on a suicide squeeze before the Manatees got out of the top of the first. The Lady Patriots would add four more runs at the top of the fifth to invoke the mercy rule before claiming the game.

Barnett would get the win after throwing a five inning no-hitter with one walk and nine strikeouts. She is now 3-2 on the year.

Hebert would fall to 1-1 after giving up five runs (four earned) on four hits in no innings pitched. Mullett would give up four runs on five hits with two strikeouts in five innings of relief.

Personal Opinion:

The Lady Patriots dawned new alternative uniforms for the games in the colors of black, white and blue. By the appearance, they were the same colors as the flag of the Blue Lives Matter countermovement.

Personally, I was not a fan of their uniforms because of several reasons and they looked very controversial.

Notes:

This was the first in-person interviews I did with coach Schuerman and Bloski for the 2022 season. Bloski is the first player I did an in-person interview with this season, while it was the first in-person postgame interview with Schuerman since the 2020 season.

Suncoast Scores:

#1 FSW (12-1) swept former Suncoast Conference member South Florida State College (2-4) 14-0 and 12-1 via the mercy rule. The Buccaneers will return home as they welcome Eastern Florida State for a doubleheader Wednesday, February 16.

St. Pete (4-6) would fall to Santa Fe (8-4) by scores of 2-1 and 15-0 (5). The Lady Titans will face #13 CCF for a doubleheader Saturday, February 12.

Hillsborough (3-6) split their doubleheader last Saturday against Daytona State (3-12) winning game one 6-3 before losing game two 12-8. The Lady Hawks will take on Miami Dade on the road for a doubleheader Saturday, February 12.

Polk State (2-2) swept their doubleheader against Daytona State by scores of 6-1 and 8-7. The Lady Eagles will welcome Lake Sumter State (7-3) Friday, February 11.

Suncoast Stadnings:

1. #1 FSW (12-1

2. SCF (7-3)

3. Polk State (2-2)

4. HCC (3-6)

5. SPC (4-6)

Up Next:

The Manatees will be on the road for the next six games as they will first travel to Gainesville to take on Santa Fe (8-4) Tuesday 

SCF Tennis Set for Conference Opener

Bradenton, Fla - After a good start in their first matchup, the SCF tennis team (1-0) will open conference play on the road as they travel to Melbourne to take on Eastern Florida State Friday afternoon, February 11 at 2 pm at the Titan Tennis Center.

Last Time Out:

After playing in four straight scrimmages, the Manatees finally opened their season at home this past Thursday afternoon by defeating NAIA Southeastern University by a score of 8-1. It was the first time under head coach Chloe Murphy that the Manatees won their season opener at home. They were scheduled to play in a scrimmage against Rollins College (NCAA DII) on February 8, but it was postponed due to inclement weather.

During the match against Southeastern, three newcomers made their debuts in singles and doubles action: Carlota "Carly" Gascon Martinez, Sakurako "Saku" Suzuki and Jessica Bustamante.

Gascon Martinez joined the Manatees in the fall after transferring from fellow conference member Eastern Florida State College. The native of Barcelona, Spain is ranked #33 in the nation in singles action and #4 in the nation in doubles with fellow sophomore Kia Carvalho-Landell. Against Southeastern, Gascon Martinez won at #1 doubles with Landell 8-6 but would lose in her singles match at #1 singles by a score of 0-6, 4-6

Suzuki, a native of Japan, was originally supposed to be on the team in the fall, but joined for the spring season instead. She would win in her debut matches in doubles and singles against Southeastern winning at #2 doubles with sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet and at the #5 singles spot.

Bustamante, a native of Miami, Florida, played at the #6 singles spot where she won her match 6-0, 6-2.

Return Life:

Sophomores Kia Carvalho-Landell, Sarah Forsyth, Lou De Freitas Bonet and Luna Mouton made their returns for the Manatees against Southeastern.

Carvalho-Landell played at the #3 spot where she won her singles match in three sets and doubles match at #1 doubles with Gascon Martinez. The Birmingham, England native was not only ranked #4 in the nation in doubles with Gascon Martinez, but is also ranked #30 in singles.

Forsyth played at the #4 spot in singles and was successful in her double match at #3 doubles. Currently, the local product from IMG Academy was ranked #17 in doubles with De Freitas Bonet.

While playing at #2 singles and being ranked at #17 in doubles with Forsyth, De Freitas Bonet is ranked at #12 in the nation among all tennis players in the NJCAA. The native of Luc Sur Mer, France won both her singles match and doubles match with Suzuki against Southeastern.

Mouton only played at the #3 doubles with Forsyth in success as she was battling a wrist injury.

Hit the Ranks:

Aside from the players ranked in the NJCAA Top 50, the Manatees were named #6 in the NJCAA ITA Preseason Rankings.

Upcoming Newcomers:

Murphy has already started her recruiting process as she has signed two newcomers to join the Manatees next season: Ainhoa Meili and Joanne Fernandes.

Meili, a native of Spain, is currently ranked #1280 in the world in the ITF in doubles. She has competed in several tournaments including the ITF Marbella Open and the Billie Jean King Cup in singles and doubles.

Fernandes, a native of Navi Mumbai, India, will join the Manatees after completing her time with Celsius Tennis Academy in Sarasota.

New Technology Intro:

Technology has made a big improvement for the Manatees statistics as they will now have livestats and livestream access for their matches.

For the livestats, the Manatees will utilize ioncourt.com so everyone can keep up with each singles and doubles match.

For the livestream portion, the Manatees will have one doubles and singles match at random choice and it will air on the SCF Tennis Facebook page.

In their inaugural livestream, the Manatees aired the #1 doubles match (Carvalho-Landell and Gascon Martinez) and the #3 singles match (Carvalho-Landell

Scouting EFSC:

The Lady Titans were originally scheduled to have two matches earlier prior to playing SCF. Their original season opener against Atlantis University (NAIA) was cancelled before their matchup with Southeastern University was postponed.

Lone sophomore Kayla Greco competed in the Rollins College C.L. Memorial Invitational where she finished fourth in singles. Greco finished seventh in the doubles portion of the invitational with freshman Luisa Salazar.

Links:

Livestats - ioncourts.com

Livestream: https://www.facebook.com/people/SCF-Tennis/100077304367919/

SCF Softball Set for Home Opener

Bradenton, Fla - After reviewing a few modifications to the lineup and defense from the previous scrimmage, the SCF softball team (6-2) are now set for their home opener at the SCF Softball Complex. The Manatees will welcome #13 College of Central Florida (7-3) for a doubleheader Thursday afternoon, February 10 at 2 and 4 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of a split in their last series on the road against Lake Sumter State College winning game one 10-4 before losing game two 11-4. This was one of the team's best starts of eight games since the 2019 season.

They played Webber International in doubleheader scrimmage this past Monday to work on some key components.

Rajun Cajuns:

Sophomore Remi Hebert and freshman Chantel Schurr have been key factors to the lineup. Hebert is currently 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA, five walks and one strikeout. In her last appearance on the mound, she got the win in game one against Lake Sumter throwing five innings while giving up four runs.

Schurr has brought a key sense of power to her name as she is batting .364 with eight hits, two home runs and seven RBI. In the series against Lake Sumter, Schurr was 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI.

Pitching Duals:

Aside from Hebert, sophomores Samantha Hampton and Gracie Mullett have put up some numbers of improvement.

Hampton is currently 3-0 with a 2.19 ERA, six walks and 20 strikeouts. In her last outing against Lake Sumter, she threw three innings of relief, giving up four runs and striking out one batter. In her last start against College of Southern Idaho, she threw a four-hit complete game with five strikeouts.

Mullett is currently 2-2 with a 2.07 ERA, one save, five walks and 17 strikeouts. At the plate, she is batting .238 with five hits and three RBI. In her last outing Mullett pitched in both games as a starter and reliever. She went 0-1 with two strikeouts and two walks, while batting 3-for-8 with one RBI.

Speed Kills:

For freshman Liv Siebert, she is the speedster for the Manatees basepaths. Siebert is currently batting .440 with 11 hits, four RBI and four stolen bases. Against Lake Sumter, she was 2-for-6 (.333) with an RBI and two stolen bases.

Powerhouse Gang:

Alongside Schurr's power game, freshmen Gabi Nicholson and Presley O'Kimosh have been powerful batters for the Manatees. Nicholson is batting .385 with 10 hits and eight RBI, while O'Kimosh is batting .348 with eight hits and four RBI. Against Lake Sumter, Nicholson was 2-for-7 with four RBI while O'Kimosh was 1-for-7 with a run.

Wildcards:

Sophomores Tori Copeland and Mya Achenbach had been the wildcard players so far. Copeland is batting .455 with five hits and three RBI, while Achenbach is batting .308 with eight hits and three RBI. Copeland, a transfer from NAIA Warner, was 3-for-7 against Lake Sumter, while Achenbach was 3-for-8 with an RBI.

Scouting CCF:

The Patriots entered the NJCAA Preseason polls ranked #13 in the nation and #2 in the NJCAA Region 8 polls. They are coming off of splitting their last two games at the Paradise Cove Tournament at FSW winning the first game 9-8 over #3 DII Louisburg College before getting upset in the second game 5-4 against College of Southern Idaho. The Patriots will play Pasco-Hernando State in a doubleheader Tuesday, February 8 prior to playing SCF.

Freshman Katie Hogue is powerhouse for the Patriots as she is batting .556 with 15 hits, five home runs and 12 RBI. Classmate Brooke Roberts follows Hogue's power game batting .424 with 14 hits, two home runs and 12 RBI, while sophomore Gianna Guerriero is leading the team with a .576 batting average, 19 hits, two home runs, eight RBI and five stolen bases.

On the mound, freshmen Emily Proctor  and Katie Pierce are both 2-0. Proctot has a 2.05 ERA, three walks and 14 strikeouts, while Pierce has a 1.90 ERA, four walks and eight strikeouts.

Series History:

Overall, the Manatees are 13-22 against the Patriots.

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger and the game may be airing on the CCF Youtube page.

Links:

Livestats: https://gc.com/t/spring-2022/state-college-of-florida-softball-22-manatees-varsity-61e1abe6990f1fe69d0cb956

Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/user/CollegeofCentralFL/live

SCF SB Splits with Lake Sumter

Leesburg, Fla - For the third straight series, the SCF softball team (6-2) havd their streak snapped with a split against Lake Sumter State College (6-4) winning game one 10-4 before losing game two 11-4 at the Hawks Nest in Leesburg. With the split, the Manatees are now 28-3 against the Lakehawks. The Manatees will meet the Lakehawks for another doubleheader at the SCF Softball Complex on March 3.

"We were playing with less enthusiasm than yesterday and nipped us in the butt today," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "Our doubleheader with Webber Monday will give us a great chance to get the work in and try some new people at different positions."

"I thought our hitting was clutch when it needed to be, but our defense in the second game was off," said sophomore Tori Copeland. "We can work on getting ahead and staying ahead with runs and defense. Not getting complacent or satisfied with only a handful of runs will only help us in the long run and to capitalize on our wins."

Game One:

For game one, Schuerman sent sophomore Remi Hebert to the mound, while Lake Sumter head coach Jay Miller sent sophomore Amber Griffin to counter.

After the first inning went scoreless, it would be the Manatees that would get on the board first at the top of the second thanks to an RBI single by freshman Chantel Schurr to bring in sophomore Tori Copeland for a 1-0 SCF lead.

At the top of the fourth, Schurr would extend the Manatees' lead to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to bring in sophomore Gracie Mullett. Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the inning, Hebert continued to hold the Lakehawks scoreless, despite being in a little trouble with runners on first and second, but the New Orleans native remained calm, cool and collected as she was able to get out of the jam.

At the top of the fifth, the Manatees continued their offensive onslaught to extend the lead. After freshman Rylee Trice and sophomore Mya Achenbach drew back-to-back walks before moving to scoring position thanks to a sacrifice bunt by freshman Liv Siebert, freshman Gabi Nicholson would bring her power game as she sent a single to right to bring in Trice and Achenbach. One batter later, Mullett would add on to the lead as she sent Nicholson home with an RBI double to make it 4-0 SCF before Copeland ended the top of the fifth.

At the top of the sixth, the Lakehawks would make a pitching change as Miller would send freshman Mia Lovett to the mound. Despite the change, the Manatees were not finished with their offensive game. Schurr would lead-off the inning with a double before Hebert reached first on a fielding error. Schuerman would then send sophomore Molly Starinsky to pinch run for Hebert before Trice drew a walk to load the bases for Achenbach. On a 1-1 count, the Pennsylvanian would send a single to right and bring in Schurr before Siebert grounded into a fielder's choice to bring in Starinsky. After Nicholson grounded out and moved Achenbach and Siebert to scoring position, Achenbach would then score on a passed ball to make it 8-0 SCF and enforce the eight-run mercy rule before the end of the top of the sixth.

The Lakehawks would then break out of the mercy rule as sophomore Alyssa Dragovic and would send an RBI single for their first run of the game. Freshman Kaleigh Thomas would send a double to left before scoring on a fielding error to make it 8-4 still in SCF's favor. This signaled the end for Hebert as Schuerman would make some switches to the defense. Mullett would come in for Hebert on the mound, while freshman Presley O'Kimosh moved from catcher to shortstop, Nicholson moved from first base to catcher and freshman Renee Dixon played first. Mullett would get out of the inning as she got the remaining two outs to end the sixth.

The Manatees would add their final two runs of the game at the top of the seventh as Schurr would send a two-run homer to left to bring in herself and Copeland for a 10-4 SCF lead. From there, Mullett would seal it on the mound in the bottom half of the inning for the win.

Hebert would get the win after giving up all four runs on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout in five innings. 

Griffin would drop to 1-2 after giving up five runs on six hits with three walks and one strikeout in five innings. Lovett would five up five runs (three earned) on four hits with two walks in two innings of relief.

At the plate, three Manatees had multi-hit games. Schurr would be the leader of game one as she went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. In fact, she was a triple shy of her first collegiate cycle.

Mullett would also go 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run while throwing one and two-third scoreless innings of relief, walking one batter and striking out two, while Copeland rounded out the order after going 2-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases.

"I thought I played pretty solid," said Copeland on her game. "I kept a positive attitude and made play to help out the team the best I could."

Nicholson (two RBI, one run and one stolen base) and Achenbach (one RBI, two runs and one walk) had the remaining two hits for the team as they each went 1-for-4.

Siebert (one RBI, one walk and one stolen base), Trice (two walks, one run and one stolen base) and Dixon (one walk) also contributed in the game.

Thomas and freshman Tatum McGrath each had two hits and were the only Lady Lakehawks with a multi-hit game. Thomas was the only player with a multi-RBI game.

Game Two:

Schuerman would have Mullett remain on the mound to start game two, while Miller went with sophomore Darian Pippin.

The Lakehawks would score the first run in the bottom of the first as freshman Kierston Smith would send a solo homer to center for her third of the season.

The Manatees would respond back at the top of the third as Siebert would send a single to left to bring in O'Kimosh and tie the game at 1-1, but the Lakehawks would regain the lead after an RBI single by freshman Raquel Camuglia before she scored on a passed ball to make it 3-1 Lake Sumter. It signaled the end for Mullett as sophomore Samantha Hampton would finish the inning in relief.

The Manatees did not want to stop without a fight as they would get their second run of the game at the top of the fourth thanks to a sacrifice fly by sophomore Hannah Murray to bring in Copeland. The top of the fifth saw the Manatees get their first lead of the second game. After back-to-back singles by Achenbach and Siebert, Nicholson would send a double to right to bring in Achenbach and Siebert and make it a 4-3 SCF lead.

The Lakehawks would then regain for the remainder of the game with a combined eight runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings for the win.

Mullett would move to 3-2 after giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits with one walk in two innings. Hampton would give up four runs (three earned) on four hits with one walk and one strikeout in three innings of relief, while Hebert gave up four runs (two earned) on three hits with one walk in an inning of relief.

Pippin would get the complete game win after giving up four runs on nine hits with three strikeouts. She is now 2-0 on the season.

Achenbach and Siebert were both 2-for-4 with a run. Siebert added an RBI and a stolen base. Nicholson would be the only Manatee in game two with a multi-RBI game as she went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Copeland (1-for-3, one run), Schurr (1-for-1), O'Kimosh (1-for-3, one run) and Trice (1-for-2) had the remaining four hits for the Manatees.

Camuglia lead the Lakehawks in the second game as she went 4-for-4 with an RBI, while Smith and sophomore Jeritza Montero were both 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs each.

Notes:

Game one was win #220 for Schuerman. She needs 30 more to reach 250 wins in her career.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#1 FSW (10-1) wrapped up the final day of the Paradise Cove Tournament after sweeping St. Thomas University JV (0-2) 5-0 and DII #3 Louisburg College (2-3) 5-0. The Buccaneers will head to Avon Park to take on former Suncoast Conference member South Florida State College (2-2) in a doubleheader Thursday night, February 10.

Hillsborough (3-6) split a doubleheader against Daytona State (3-8) winning game one 6-3 before losing game two 12-8. The Hawks return to action Saturday afternoon, February 12 on the road against Miami Dade (3-7).

Suncoast Standings:

1. FSW (10-1)

2. SCF (6-2)

3. SPC (4-4)

4. HCC (3-6)

5. Polk State (0-2)

Up Next:

The Manatees will play a doubleheader Monday afternoon against Webber International before having their home opening doubleheader against #13 College of Central Florida (7-3) Thursday, February 12 at 2 and 4 pm.

SCF SB Set for LSSC

 Bradenton, Fla - The SCF softball team (5-1) remain on the road for another doubleheader series this weekend. The Manatees will travel to Leesburg to take on Lake Sumter State College (6-2) at the Hawks Nest Friday afternoon, February 4 at 1 and 3 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are coming off of playing on neutral grounds for their last doubleheader as they defeated College of Southern Idaho (5-1) and Miami Dade (4-3) in the FSW Invitational in Fort Myers. The first six games for the Manatees matches their best start since the 2019 season. They entered the series with a five game winning streak

Freshmen Gabi Nicholson and Presley O'Kimosh still lead the path offensively. Nicholson is batting .421 with eight hits and four RBI, while O'Kimosh is batting .438 with seven hits and four RBI. At the FSW Invitational, Nicholson was 2-for-7 with an RBI, while O'Kimosh was 2-for-6 with two RBI.

Freshman Liv Siebert has also been a benefactor at the plate and on the basepaths. Siebert leads the team batting .474 with nine hits, two RBI and two stolen bases. She was 4-for-6 with two runs and a stolen base

Hero of New Orleans:

Freshman Chantel Schurr was the hero for game two against Miami Dade at the FSW Invitational as she hit her first collegiate home run in a Manatees uniform. Schurr, who transferred from Jones College, is batting .235 with four hits, a home run and three RBI.

Return of the Ragin Cajun:

Sophomore Remi Hebert returned to the rotation during the FSW Invitational. Hebert threw a no-decision against Miami Dade where she threw five innings with one earned run. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate. The New Orleans native missed the first four games due personal reasons.

Powerful Pitching:

For sophomores Samantha Hampton and Gracie Mullett, they have improved on their pitching game since last season. Hampton is currently 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA, five walks and 19 strikeouts so far, while Mullett is 3-1 with a 1.68 ERA, three walks and 15 strikeouts. At the FSW Invitational, Hampton threw a four-hit complete game with five strikeouts against Southern Idaho, while Mullet threw two innings of relief for a win over Miami Dade.

Scouting Lake Sumter State:

The Lakehawks are coming off of finishing a series on the road as they swept Florida State College at Jacksonville by scores of 6-5 and 11-4.

Sophomore Morgan Johnson is batting .400 while leading the team with 10 hits and four RBI, while classmate Morgan Herndon is batting .500 with eight hits, a home run and four RBI and freshman Kierston Smith leads the team with two home runs and three RBI while batting .318.

Series History:

Overall, the Manatees are 27-2 against the Lakehawks. Last time both teams met was in 2020 where the Manatees swept the Lakehawks at home and on the road. The Lakehawks last win was on February 16, 2017 by a score of 12-8.

Livestats will be provided for the game via GameChanger

Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2022/state-college-of-florida-softball-22-manatees-varsity-61e1abe6990f1fe69d0cb956

SCF Sweep FSW Invitational

Ft. Myers, Fla - The SCF softball team (5-1) continued their strong start on the road as they swept the FSW Invitational at City of Palms Park in Ft. Myers by defeating College of Southern Idaho (3-4) 5-1 before defeating Miami Dade (3-5) 4-3. With the sweep, the Manatees are now 1-0 against the Golden Eagles and 9-12 against the Sharks.

"It always feel good to win," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "We do have some things we need to button up and focus on to be more consistent, but today in game two they found a way to win."

"Our pitching staff has been solid this year thus far," said Schuerman on her pitchers. "I couldn't be prouder of them for their hard work today."

"Overall, the team was focused and ready to put on a show from the outset," said freshman Chantel Schurr. "The first game was fast-paced and exciting and we never took our foot off the gas. We came out swinging the bat in the second game, but not finding as many holes and stringing hits together as we had in the first fame. It just happens."

"The key goal was to play as a team instead of just being satisfied. When it comes to what our coaches and ourselves expect, stringing hits together, playing as a team and working for one another are critical."

"We really came together as a team to get the sweep," said sophomore Samantha Hampton. "We had a few mistakes here and there, but we had each other's backs and picked each other up throughout the whole day."

SCF vs Southern Idaho:

For game one, Schuerman sent Hampton to the mound, while Southern Idaho head coach Nick Baumert sent sophomore Kenzie Waters to counter.

It would be the Manatees that would get the first runs on the board at the top of the first. After back-to-back singles by sophomore Mya Achenbach and freshman Olivia Siebert, followed by freshman Presley O’Kimosh drawing a one-out walk to load the bases, sophomore Gracie Mullett would reach base on a outfielding error while bringing in Achenbach. Sophomore Chantel Schurr would then groundout to third while bringing in Siebert to make it 2-0 SCF.

After the next three innings were silent for both teams, the Manatees would then extend their lead at the top of the fifth. Achenbach and Siebert would first hit back-to-back bunt singles and be in scoring position. This would signal the end for Waters as Baumert would send freshman Brooke Merrill to the mound.

After the pitching change, Achenbach would score on a passed ball while Siebert advanced to third. After freshman Gabi Nicholson struck out, O’Kimosh would groundout to second to bring in Siebert to make it 4-0 SCF.

While the Manatees bats were going, Hampton continued her dominance on the mound as she would push to get out after out, even while she had trouble with runners on base, but the Lithia native would breeze through the inning with ease.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would add their final run on the board as Mullett would hit an RBI double to bring in Siebert to make it 5-0 SCF.

The Golden Eagles would try one last time to get a run on the board and they would thanks to a sacrifice fly by freshman Perla Duran, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees would get the win

Hampton would go to 2-0 on the season after throwing a complete game, giving up one run on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.

"When I was warming up, I did not feel great about it at first and I told my team I needed them to have my back on defense and offense and they delivered," said Hampton on her game. "I was able to count on them, even though my best pitch was not working. It was definitely a team win and they had my back throughout the whole game."

Waters would be credited with the loss after giving up four runs (one earned) on six hits with one walk in four innings. She is now 1-2 on the year.

Merrill would give up one run on three hits with two strikeouts in three innings of relief.

Siebert would be the leader at the plate as she went 4-for-4 with three runs and a stolen base. Achenbach would also get a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-4 with two runs.

Mullett and Schurr were both 1-for-4 with an RBI while sophomore Tori Copeland was 1-for-3 with a double for the remaining hit.

Sophomore Brynne Tolley would be the only Golden Eagle with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-2 with a walk.

SCF vs Miami Dade:

For game two, Schuerman would have sophomore Remi Hebert return to the mound, while MDC head coach Gina De Augero sent freshman Vikky Navaro to counter.

Once again, the Manatees would get on the board first in the bottom of the first beginning with an Achenbach lead-off walk. After advancing to second on a Siebert sacrifice bunt, freshman Gabi Nicholson would send a double to deep right to bring in Achenbach. Following that, O'Kimosh would send a line drive single to left to bring in Nicholson to make it 2-0.

The Sharks would then tie the game at 2-2 at the top of the third after a bases loaded double by freshman Allison Morales. The next top of the inning, the Sharks would take the lead after a suicide squeeze play by Beatrice Narazaki for a 3-2 MDC lead.

After a scoreless fifth, the Manatees decided to push themselves to get the sweep. After Mullett leadoff the inning reaching second on a fielding error, Schurr would be the hero to save the Manatees as she hit her first collegiate home run to center to give SCF a 4-3 lead.

"It felt amazing to be able to contribute to our runs as a whole with my first home run for the Manatees," said Schurr on her home run. "It may have gone differently if there had been no runners on base to help. Personally, I wouldn't put myself forward as the reason for the game's victory because we all fought hard and scratched our way to the top."

"It was nice to see different players step up for each game and I'm happy that Chantel got her first collegiate home run," said Schuerman on Schurr's first home run. "I'm also happier when we string a bunch of hits together."

From there, Mullett, who entered in the game for Hebert at the top of the sixth, would seal the deal with a final groundout and the win.

"I think the turning point for game two was we knew we were down and needed at least a run to stay in it. We ended up getting a runner on third with one out and Chantel came and not only knocked in the runner, but also had a two-run home run to put us in the lead."

Hebert would get a no-decision after giving up three runs (one earned) on nine hits with one walk in five innings. She was also 1-for-3 at the plate.

Mullett would get the win after throwing two scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit and one walk. She is now 3-0 on the season. Additionally, Mullett was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Navarro would be credited with the loss after throwing giving up all four runs (three earned) on nine hits with one walk and two strikeouts. She is now 0-2 on the year.

Nicholson and O'Kimosh both had a multi-hit game as they each went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Nicholson added a run scored.

Schurr and Achenbach were both 1-for-3 with a run each. Schurr had the home run and two RBI and was the only Manatee with a multi-RBI game against MDC.

Copeland had the remaining hit as she went 1-for-1.

For the Sharks, sophomores Melissa Leon and Brianna Romaguera were both 2-for-3 at the plate, while Morales was the only Shark with a multi-RBI game as she went 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Notes:

This was wins #218 and #219 for Schuerman. She needs 31 more to reach 250 career wins as head coach.

This was Hebert's first game of the season after being away for personal reasons.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#1 FSW (7-1) split a doubleheader with College of Southern Idaho in their hosted invitational winning game one 5-0 before getting upset in game two by a score of 6-5 Thursday on day one of their hosted invitational. On day two, they defeated Lakeland College 19-3 in five innings before defeating #4 Salt Lake 9-5. The Buccaneers will wrap up their invitational as they face NAIA St. Thomas University JV and #3 DII Louisburg Saturday, February 5 at 10:30 am and 12:30 pm.

St. Pete (4-4) split against St. John's River State (3-2) losing game one 12-9 before winning game two 10-4. The Lady Titans will travel to New Port Richey to take on Pasco-Hernando State (4-2) in a doubleheader Sunday afternoon, February 6.

Hillsborough (2-5) split with Seminole State College of Florida winning game one 14-4 before losing game two 10-0 in five innings. The Hawks return to action on the road Saturday afternoon, February 5 

against Daytona State (2-7).

Polk State (0-2) will face Daytona State Monday evening, February 7.

Suncoast Conference Standings:

1. FSW (8-1)

2. SCF (5-1)

3. SPC (4-4)

4. HCC (2-5)

5. Polk State (0-2)

Up Next:

The Manatees are still on the road as they travel to Leesburg to take on Lake Sumter State College (6-2) for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, February 5 at 1 and 3 pm.

SCF Tennis Takes Season Opener

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF tennis team (1-0) opened their season with strong play as they defeated NAIA Southeastern University (0-1) 8-1 at the SCF Tennis Complex.

"Tonight was a good match for the girls," said head coach Chloe Murphy. "It was a great team effort and they came out and competed really hard while bringing insane energy today and doing what we asked them to do and I'm so proud of them for tonight's effort."

"We were very to win the first match of the season, especially with it being at home," said sophomore Lou De Freitas Bonet. "People came to see us play and we all did quite a phenomenal job and we were very happy to win this matchup."

Doubles would start off in the Manatees favor as the sophomore duo of Sarah Forsyth and Luna Mouton defeated Rebecca Schnatz and Nadezda Bijelic 8-5 at #3 doubles. De Freitas Bonet and freshman Saku Suzuki would follow with an 8-5 of their own over Abigail Damon and Neleah Neiberline at #2 doubles before the sophomore duo of Kia Carvalho-Landell and Carly Gascon Martinez defeated Martina Pacardi and Priscila Baptista 8-6 at #1 double for a clean sweep and a 3-0 lead.

"I felt like me and Saku were a good pair for doubles," said De Freitas Bonet on her doubles match. "She's playing backhand, while I'm playing forehand, so we were really good together. We had a good attitude while cheering for each other, which was good, and we weren't missing a lot, which was even better."

"Me and Lou were playing really good at the net, so she was really happy for me," said Suzuki on her doubles play.

Singles would then go underway five minutes later and it would be freshman Jessica Bustamante that would take the first match over freshman Korinne Harris by a score of 6-0, 6-1 at #6 singles.

“Overall, I felt like I played really well,” said Bustamante on her match. “I played with a key strategy instead of just hitting the ball, but I played strategically and I made my serves and shots in with consistency and it worked out in the end.”

Suzuki would seal the deal for the Manatees overall with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Bijelic at #5 singles.

“I played really well today,” said Suzuki on her singles play. "I felt like I had a lot of control for myself. I mixed a lot of everything from my drop shots to groundstrokes and I was able to hit stronger."

Despite the Manatees winning the match overall, singles play would continue as De Freitas Bonet would get a 6-4, 6-2 win over Neiberline.

“In singles, the beginning of the match was hard for me winning 4-3 in the first set before going up 5-4 and then 6-4,” said De Freitas Bonet on her singles play. "After that, she (Neiberline) missed a lot afterwards and it was easier for me."

The Lady Flames would get their lone point on the board as Gascon Martinez, despite a strong comeback in the second set, would fall to Picardi at #1 singles by a score of 6-0, 7-5.

“The girl Carly played was really good, solid player that played lights out tennis in the first set” said Murphy on Gascon Martinez’s game vs Picardi. "I told her to keep her head up, keep plugging away and keep Picardi playing ball. She found it on the way back in the second set and fought incredibly hard while keeping her on for an extra 30 to 40 minutes, so I couldn't be any happier for her performance today."

With two matches left, Carvalho-Landell would get a three-set win over Baptista by a score of 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 at #3 singles before Forsyth claimed the final point with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Damon at #4 singles.
Mouton and freshman Jenna Gusto would also played one set singles matches before the series ended.

Notes:
This was the spring season debuts of Suzuki, Bustamante and Gascon Martinez. Gascon Martinez joined the Manatees after transferring from Eastern Florida State College.

"It was awesome," said Murphy on the newcomer's debuts. "They have been in the lineup for the scrimmages that we had so far, even if they were away. Jess (Bustamante) picked up a nice win against Florida Southern, but to get their first official wins, especially at home, it was good to see them start to really relax into their tennis."

"While it was my first time being here at SCF, I love it here," said Suzuki on her debut. "I love all my teammates and this college and they were all very nice to me, so it is amazing being here."

Additionally for the first time in the program's history, the Manatees officially debuted the addition of livestats and livestream of the matches.

"It's always nice to give the girls something so they get exposure," said Murphy on the new additions. "I wish I was back to being a player and get to be a part of that, but obviously technology wasn't where it is now, but it was amazing to broadcast the kids that worked so hard and I'm happy we got quite a few international kids' families that keep up with the matches, so it was exciting to bring that to them."

Up Next:

The Manatees will be back on the road for another scrimmage as they travel to Winter Park to take on NCAA DII Rollins College Tuesday afternoon, February 8 at 4 pm.

SCF Softball Remains on the Road

Bradenton, Fla - After a good start to their season, the SCF softball team (3-1) will remain on neutral grounds for their next series as they travel to Fort Myers to take on College of Southern Idaho (3-2) and Miami Dade (4-2) in the FSW Invitational at City of Palms Park, hosted by #1 Florida Southwestern (5-0) for a doubleheader Friday at 11:15 am (vs CSI) and 3:30 pm (vs MDC). #13 College of Central Florida (5-1), #4 Salt Lake CC (2-3), Louisburg College (0-0) and #15 Indian River State (5-1) will also be participating in the Florida Tournament. The Manatees will not play #4 Salt Lake CC and Louisburg College this season, but will play #13 CCF, #15 Indian River and #1 FSW on later dates.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees opened their season with the Adidas JUCO Kickoff Classic in Clearwater. They would split day one losing to Georgia Military College (4-0) and defeating Abraham Baldwin (4-1) before sweeping day two with wins over St. John's River (7-5) and Seminole State College of Florida (3-1).

11 players made their debuts for the team: Liv Siebert, Presley O'Kimosh, Gabi Nicholson, Chantell Schurr, Samantha Carlin, Jordan O'Brien, Molly Starinsky, Tori Copeland, Mikayla DeSantis, Renee Dixon and Rylee Trice. Schurr (Jones College), Starinsky (Polk State) and Copeland (NAIA Warner) are all transfers that joined this season.

Nicholson and O'Kimosh lead the way for the Manatees as they are each batting .500 (6-for-12). Nicholson leads with three RBI, while O'Kimosh has two.

On the mound, sophomores Samantha Hampton and Gracie Mullet lead the way for the pitchers.

Hampton is 1-0 with a 1.70 ERA, four walks and 14 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. This included a career-high 10 strikeout game against Abraham Baldwin.

Mullet is 2-1 with a 1.43 ERA, two walks and 15 strikeouts. She pitched in three of the four games played.

Scouting Southern Idaho:

Southern Idaho are from Twin Falls, Idaho and represent NJCAA Region 18 (Scenic West Athletic Conference). They are lead by head coach Nick Baumert, who enters his 17th season as head softball coach.

The Golden Eagles opened their season at the College of Southern Nevada Tournament in Henderson, Nevada. They would upset #5 Yavapai College (8-3), Arizona Western (8-2) and Northeastern JC (10-1) and fall to South Mountain CC (9-6) and Eastern Arizona (8-7).

Freshman August Cowan leads the Golden Eagles on the mound going 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA, four walks and six strikeouts. In her last outing, Cowan threw two and a third scoreless innings of relief with two walks and one strikeout in the loss to Eastern Arizona.

At the plate, freshman Saige Nielsen is batting .308 with two home runs and five RBI, while classmate Gracie Tentinger is batting .500 with a home run and a team-leading nine RBI.

This will be the first time both teams meet.

Scouting Miami Dade:

The Sharks opened their season at the JUCO Kickoff Classic for three days and split on all three days. On day one, they would fall to Gulf Coast State (6-2) in their opening game before defeating USC Union (3-1). On day two, they would split by defeating Hillsborough (7-4) and losing to #13 CCF (11-3 (5)). On the final day, the Sharks would split after defeating South Georgia State (13-8) before falling to Marshalltown CC (6-5).

At the plate, sophomore Raissa Blanco leads the team batting .522 with 12 hits, 10 RBI and three stolen bases. Classmate Lindsey Arana (.444 batting average) and freshman Alison Morales (.500 batting average) follow with five RBI each. Arana also has the team's lone home run so far.

On the mound, freshman Gina Gallegos is 2-2 with a 4.38 ERA, one walk and eight strikeouts. In her last mound appearance, Gallegos earned the loss against Marshalltown CC after throwing five innings, giving up six runs on nine hits with two strikeouts.

The Manatees are 8-12 against the Sharks.

Livestats will be provided by GameChanger

Link: https://gc.com/t/spring-2022/state-college-of-florida-softball-22-manatees-varsity-61e1abe6990f1fe69d0cb956/schedule/games

SCF Softball Wraps Up Classic

Clearwater, Fla - The SCF softball team (3-1) officially wrapped up day two of the Adidas JUCO Kickoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex as they defeated St. John’s River State (1-1) 7-5 in game one before defeating Seminole State College of Florida (2-1) 3-1. With the wins, the Manatees are now 9-8 against the Vikings and 8-17 against the Raiders.

“It always feels good to win no matter what the situation,” said head coach Mandy Schuerman. “I liked our grit in both games. We have a lot that we are going to continue to work on, but overall I'm happy with the adjustments from day one to day two.”

SCF vs St. John’s River:

For game one, Schuerman sent sophomore Samantha Hampton to the mound, while SJR head coach Joe Pound sent sophomore Katie Benedict to counter.

After a scoreless first inning, the Vikings would score first in the bottom of the second after a two-RBI single by sophomore Ashley Kirkbride, but the Manatees then showed their offense at the top of the third. After sophomore Hannah Murrary was hit by a pitch to lead off before classmate Molly Starinsky came in to pinch run, freshman Jordan O’Brien would hit a single and move Starinsky to third before being caught stealing for the first out. Sophomore Mya Achenbach would then send a bunt single to bring in Starinsky for the Manatees first run of the game. Freshman Liv Siebert would get a bunt single of her own before classmate Presley O’Kimosh drew a walk to load the bases for freshman Gabi Nicholson. On a 1-1 count, the Tennessee native would send a double to left and bring in Achenbach and Siebert for a 3-2 SCF lead. 

The Vikings would tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third after an RBI double by freshman Alyssa Taylor. This signaled the end for Hampton as sophomore Gracie Mullett would come in to pitch and close out the fourth inning for both teams 

At the top of the fifth, the Manatees would regain the lead after Nicholson brought in Siebert with an RBI groundout. At the top of the sixth, they were able to extend their lead with their final runs as sophomore Allie Bloski would begin with a leadoff walk. After Murrary was hit by a pitch and O’Brien drew a walk to load the bases, Achenbach would draw a walk of her own and bring in Bloski. O’Kimosh would then send bases-loaded two-RBI single to bring in Murray and O’Brien to make it 7-3 SCF before before called out trying to stretch a single to a double.

The Vikings would add two more runs in the last two innings, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees got the win.

Hampton would get her second win of the season after giving up three runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in three innings. She is now 2-0 to start.

Mullett gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits with five strikeouts in four innings of relief.

Benedict would get the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings, while sophomore Savannah LePain gave up two runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two innings of relief.

Nicholson would lead the way for the Manatees as she went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while O'Kimosh and Siebert each had two hits. O'Kimosh (2-for-3) added two RBI, while Siebert (2-for-4) added two runs. Achenbach also had a multi-RBI game as she went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI.

O'Brien (1-for-3, one run and one walk) and freshman Sam Carlin (1-for-1) had the remaining two hits.

Taylor would lead the Vikings in hits as she went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run, while sophomore Madison McAllister was 2-for-4 with two runs.

Sophomore Carly Bogart, a transfer from SCF, went 1-for-4 against her former team.

SCF vs Seminole State:

For game two, Schuerman sent Mullett back to the mound, while Seminole head coach Courtney Miller sent sophomore Jada Oleski to counter.

The Manatees would get on the board first after Siebert hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Achenbach. One inning later, the Manatees would get their second run after Bloski hit an RBI double to center to bring in freshman Chantel Schurr to make it 2-0 SCF.

After holding the Raiders scoreless for the next three innings, the Raiders would then get their first run of the game at the top of the sixth after redshirt sophomore Shelby Williams reached on an error and brought in sophomore Taylor Thomas, but the Manatees would respond back with an insurance run in the bottom half after Nicholson would reach on a fielding error and bring in Siebert before sealing the win.

Mullett would end up throwing a complete game, giving up one unearned run on four hit with nine strikeouts. She is now 1-1 on the season.

"Both Gracie and Sam Hampton threw really well both days," said Schuerman on Mullett and Hampton. "I am so proud of the way they attacked the zone. I was extremely happy with their performances."

Oleski would be dubbed with the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in five innings.

Schurr would be the only Manatee with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with a run. Bloski and Siebert were each 1-for-2 with an RBI, while Nicholson (1-for-3) had the remaining hit.

Thomas would be the only Lady Raider with a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-3 with a run, while giving up on unearned run on two hits in one inning of relief.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#1 FSW (5-0) finished their second day of the JUCO Kickoff Classic by defeating both Marshalltown CC (12-4) and USC Union (17-3) via the five inning mercy rule. The Buccaneers will return to action with the FSW Invitational for their home opener against College of Southern Idaho in a doubleheader Thursday, February 3 as part of six straight games at home.

Polk State (0-2) would fall in their season opener as they lost to Seminole State (6-4, 11 innings) and Santa Fe (12-5) on day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic. The Eagles will return to action with their home opener against Daytona State February 7 in a doubleheader.

St. Pete (2-2) wrapped up day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic with a sweep as they beat South Georgia State (9-1) and Eastern Florida State (12-7). The Lady Titans will return to action for day three of the classic with morning game against Parkland College Sunday morning, January 30 at 8:30 am.

Hillsborough (1-2) opened their season with three games. They would defeated USC Union 8-0 in five innings via the eight-run mercy rule before falling to Miami Dade (7-4) and St. John's River (16-8). The Hawks will be back in action as they travel to Gainesville to take on Santa Fe College Tuesday, February 1.

Suncoast Conference Standings:

1. #1 FSW (5-0)

2. SCF (3-1)

3. SPC (2-2)

4. HCC (1-2)

5. Polk State (0-2)

Up Next:

The Manatees remain on neutral grounds for their next series as they will travel to Fort Myers for another doubleheader as they face College of Southern Idaho (3-2) and Miami Dade (1-2) Friday, February 4 at 11:15 am and 3:30 pm.

SCF SB Splits Day One of Season Opener

Clearwater, Fla - The SCF softball team (1-1) started their season opener with a split at the Adidas JUCO Kickoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater as they fell to RV Georgia Military College (2-1) 4-0 before defeating Abaraham Baldwin Agriculture (0-2) 4-1. With the split, the Manatees are now 0-2 against the Bulldogs and 3-0 against the Lady Stallions.

"We played very nervously, which was to be expected being as we don't have many returners and a young team overall," said head coach Mandy Schuerman. "We saw improvements from game one to game two and that's what we were looking for."

"First game we were shutout, but we were able to get two hits off of Georgia Military College, bug our pitch selection and offensive approach was a point of focus as we did not do a good job in the first game and utilized it in the second game."

SCF vs GMC:

For game one against Georgia Military, Schuerman sent sophomore Gracie Mullett to the mound, while GMC head coach Ashley Bunn sent sophomore Kinsley Goolsby to counter.

After the first three innings were a pitcher's dual, the Bulldogs would score first as sophomore Marlee Smith would get an RBI single and would be followed with bases-loaded walk by classmate Mankensie Sapp and sophomore Makckenzie Kilpatrick getting hit by a pitch to make it 3-0 GMC. The Bulldogs would get one more run at the top of the sixth after a Kilpatrick sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 GMC before sealing the deal.

Goolsby would get the win after a two-hit shutout with four walks and eight strikeouts.

Mullett would be credited with the loss after giving up three runs on five hits with two walks and one strikeout in three and two-thirds.

Hampton would give up one unearned run on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts in two and a third of relief, while freshman Samantha Carlin would throw one scoreless inning of relief with one walk.

Sophomore Layla Barron and freshman Lilly Griffith would be the only Bulldogs with a multi-hit game against the Manatees as they both went 2-for-4. Barron added two runs, while Griffith added one walk.

Sophomore Mya Achenbach and freshman Presley O'Kimosh had the Manatees only lone hits, while freshmen Liv Siebert and Jordan O'Brien each added a stolen base.

SCF vs ABAC:

Hoping to make up for the loss, Schuerman sent Hampton to the mound for game two while ABAC head coach Jennifer Walls sent freshman Lindy Lowther to counter.

The Manatees, who were the away team, would score first at the top of the first after an RBI groundout by Siebert that sent Achenbach home. The Lady Stallions would return the favor in the bottom of the second as freshman Abby Plymel would hit an RBI groundout of her own to tie the game at 1-1.

While it remained a pitcher's dual between Hampton and Lowther for the next two innings, the Manatees would get the upper hand at the top of the fifth. After Siebert and O'Kimosh hit back-to-back singles and Nicholson hit into a fielder's choice before freshman Chantel Schurr drew a walk to load the bases, Mullett would draw a walk of her own and send Siebert home to give the Manatees the lead. Sophomore Allie Bloski would then extend the lead to 3-1 after a sacrifice fly brought in Nicholson.

At the top of the seventh, the Manatees would add one final run as O'Kimish scored on a passed ball to make it 4-1 SCF before the game ended.

Hampton would get the win after throwing a complete game, giving up one run on six hits with one walk and a career-high 10 strikeouts. The Lithia native threw a total 9.2 innings with 12 strikeouts in two games.

"I was beyond nervous at the start of the game because it is my last first time starting for my final year," said Hampton on her game. "While there were a few issues with my pitches, I adjusted and ended up with one of my best pitching games and a team win at the end of the day."

"Sam pitched a great game today," said Schuerman on Hampton. "Of course, all of my pitchers threw well today since we only gave up one earned run on the day.

Lowther would get the loss after giving up three runs on four hits with eight walks and six strikeouts in four and two-thirds.

O'Kimosh and Gabi Nicholson each were 2-for-3. O'Kimosh added a run scored, while Nicholson added an RBI and a stolen base.

Achenbach (1-for-4, one run) and Siebert (1-for-4, one RBI and one run) had the remaining hits for the Manatees, while Schurr drew three walks.

"I was happy with Presley and Gabi in the second game," said Schuerman on O'Kimosh and Nicholson. "They were able to relax a little bit and settle in at the game, which is all you can ask for from your batters."

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural fell to Eastern Florida State 3-0 in an earlier game

Notes:

The season opener happened to coincidentally be on head coach Schuerman's birthday.

"I'll take a win any day," laughed Schuerman on winning the game on her birthday. "In the end, it was nice to get at least one win for my birthday."

"It felt amazing," said Hampton on Schuerman's birthday win. "I felt like it was the best gift we could give her after everything we have worked so had for this far."

This was win #215 for Schuerman as head coach for the Manatees.

Siebert, O'Kimosh, Nicholson, Schurr, Carlin, O'Brien and sophomores Molly Starinsky and Tori Copeland and freshmen Mikayla DeSantis, Renee Dixon and Rylee Trice all made their debuts for the team. Schurr, Starinsky and Copeland are all transfers that joined this season.

Other Suncoast Scores:

#1 FSW (3-0) opened their season at the JUCO Kickoff Classic in Clearwater as they defeated Northwest Florida State 5-2, East Georgia State 10-2 (5) and Parkland College(#9 NJCAA DII) 12-7. The Buccaneers will be back in action Saturday, January 29 as they play day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic against Marshalltown CC and USC Union.

Hillsborough will open their season on day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic as they play USC Union, Miami Dade and St. John's River Saturday, January 29.

Polk State will open the season on day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic as they face Seminole State College and Santa Fe.

St. Pete (0-2) opened their season at the JUCO Kickoff Classic as they fell to Gulf Coast State (4-2) and RV Pensacola State (5-2). The Lady Titans will return to action as they play Eastern Florida, Parkland College and Georgia Highlands on day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic.

Up Next:

The Manatees will wrap up their part of day two of the JUCO Kickoff Classic in Clearwater as they play St. John's River State (@4 pm) and Seminole State College (FL) (@6 pm*).

*Game times are not official

4th Herd Gets First Win for Conference

Bradenton, Fla - After a struggling start for Southern Conference play with only seven players to rotate, the SCF basketball team (12-10, 1-3 Southern) were able to get their first conference win of the season as they defeated Miami Dade (8-11, 0-4 Southern) by a nail-biting score of 69-67 at Hal Chasey Gymnasium.

"It feels good to get back on the winning column," said head coach Tom Parks. "I think regardless of our record over the last five games, I thought at times we played some very good stretches of basketball. In particular, the last three games we played really well, even with a lot of new things that we added in on the fly with very little practice time and a lot of film sessions and I just felt like our group locked in. I know it got ugly at the end, but it was nice to end up having more points on our side of the scoreboard."

"It felt good to get this win," said sophomore James "Pop" Weathers. "We have been harping the past couple of weeks to get our first dub in conference play this season and we started coming back from break while losing two straight against Seward and Pensacola and getting our first dub in conference is a big win for us because last week we had two close ones and we wanted those, so we felt good coming off of the FSW game and it was better than all."

"We came out hot and gave it to them (Miami Dade) in the first half, but I felt we kind of slowed the pace down in the second half, so we had to adjust our plays and while they scored more points, we just had to lock in on the last two minutes and that made it better for the win."

"It feels good to get our first win tonight," said sophomore Clarence Cummings III. "It was a team game and it just feels good after losing five straight games and winning always heals everything."

"It feels great after snapping the five-game losing streak we had with losing three in conference play," said freshman Cobey Harraway. "We definitely needed this win just to raise everyone's spirits and it just feels good to win, even if it was ugly towards the end of game. All that matters is we got the win at the end of the day."

In the first half, both teams were off to a slow start in the first two minutes until freshman Matthew Khoury scored the first points of the game with a mid-range shot from the corner before freshman Ronnail Tape hit the Manatees first points with a layup. After another Shark layup, Weathers would give the Manatees their first lead with a 3-point shot. A Weathers rebound lead to another 3-point shot hit by Cummings III for an 8-4 lead. The Sharks would tie the game at 11 apiece after a 3-point shot by freshman Speedy Carcamo before calling a timeout.

After the timeout, freshman Ametri Moss would hit a layup to give the Manatees back the lead before they went on a 9-2 run for two and a half minutes to make it 20-13 before extending their lead by as much as 17 thanks to 3-points shots by Harraway and freshman Jacari White before sophomore Darik Tannis-Harriet hit a buzzer-beating mid-range shot with three minutes left in the first half. After a few more adjustments to the formation, Harraway would hit one final 3-pointer to end the first half before the Manatees took the first half 39-25.

At the start of the second half, the Sharks started to make a comeback, slowly but surely, even while the Manatees got crucial buckets from Cummings III and Weathers. The Sharks would cut the Manatees lead from 17 points to single digits with less than 13 minutes left in the second half.

With three minutes left in the game and the Manatees up 66-62, the Sharks would then put pressure on the Manatees and take advantage with a few steals before taking their first lead of the second half by a score of 67-66, but a Moss layup would give the Manatees back their lead to 68-67.

The Sharks would try to get the lead back with a layup, but strong defense by White from a block and taking a charge would continue to keep the Manatees lead alive. The Sharks would then try three more attempts to get the lead with less than a minute left in the half, but to no avail as Cummings III would grab a crucial rebound on the defense end before Parks called a timeout with 34 seconds left.

After the timeout, Cummings III would attempt a 3-point shot to extend the lead to four, but it would not fall in, yet like a silent assassin, Harraway would grab a crucial offensive rebound and draw the foul to go to the free throw line with 15.3 seconds left. 

After Harraway made one of two free throws, the Sharks would go for one more final shot attempt to tie the game or get the win with 11 seconds left. Sophomore D'Monte Brown would go for the final shot, but it would not fall as the Manatees would secure the win.

"I wanted to hit both free throws towards the end of the game," said Harraway on the last 15 seconds of the game. "On the first attempt, I was definitely thinking about it too much and I let my foot slip a little bit and let the nerves get to me. I knew I had to make the second one for sure because it would have been tougher to see if we were up one instead of two or three."

Three Manatees scored in double figures and it was Cummings III that lead the way offensively as he finished with a season-high 20 points (5-for-13 FG, 2-for-3 3PT, 8-for-8 FT), five rebounds, one assist and one block.

"Plain and simple, I just played basketball," said Cummings III on his game. "I don't want to say too much, it just play basketball and hopefully get the win."

"Clarence shows up every day and is somebody you can root for," said Parks on Cummings III. "I think a majority of the team look up to him as like a big brother type of role and he just shows up and I felt like we lost games this season because of our free throw shooting and to see him shoot a pretty good percentage of 14 of 19 (74%) and his eight of eight obviously goes a long way into that and it's nice to see him at his success. I thought he played well and took good shots while he was in a rhythm most of the time. I think him and Ronnail (Tape) had a height disadvantage every game, yet they just battle, so Clarence is someone who is playing out of a position at times, especially from a defensive standpoint, and can go out there and compete every day and he did that today."

Harraway would follow with 18 points (6-for-13 FG, 5-for-7 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), five rebounds and two assists.

"I felt good in the first half, but in the second half, I was kind of quiet a little bit and wasn't shooting as many looks as I got and couldn't get them to fall," said Harraway on his game. "Part of it was the fatigue and I didn't come out a single second in the second half, which was a mental lapse with it getting in my head and thinking about my shot too much instead of just letting it fly, but overall I thought I had a good game offensively and defensively with my rebounding."

"The thing about Cobey is he is just an everyday guy," said Parks on Harraway. "He shows up everyday and works. He doesn't complain when he doesn't get a certain amount of shots. He just plays basketball, whether the ball finds him or not, even if he misses shots or if he makes them. I thought he took some really good shots and his teammates found him and I thought he shot the ball with confidence."

Weathers would round out the order with 11 points (4-for-8 FG, 3-for-6 3PT), seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals.

"I came into the game thinking of not trying to force anything and just take what the defense gives me," said Weathers on his game. "I just wanted to let the game come to me and no matter how many points I had, as long as we got the 'W', I'm ok with it."

White would add nine points (3-for-10 FG, 1-for-3 3PT, 2-for-3 FT), five rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal, while freshman Ametri Moss had five points (2-for-8 FG, 1-for-2 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and two steals, Tape added four points (1-for-3 FG, 2-for-4 FT) and three rebounds and Tannis-Harriet added two points (1-for-1 FG), one rebound and one assist.

Notes:

With his 11 points, Weathers has 779 career points and 409 this season. He needs 221 to reach 1,000 points and 397 to hold the single season points held by D'Moi Hodge (805, 2018-20).

Other Southern Conference Scores:

#5 Indian River State (19-2, 4-0 Southern) defeated Hillsborough (8-10, 2-3 Southern) 74-64 in Tampa. The Hawks will face #15 Florida Southwestern (16-2, 3-0 Southern Wednesday night, January 26.

Southern Conference Standings:

1. #5 Indian River State (19-2, 4-0)

2. #15 FSW (16-2, 3-0)

3. HCC (8-10, 2-3)

4. SCF (12-10, 1-3)

5. MDC (8-11, 0-4)

Up Next:

The Manatees are back on the road as they travel to Miami to take on Miami Dade Monday night, January 24 at 7 pm. This will be a makeup game from January 5.