By Pat Clines
Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (11-9) were put back to their winning ways as they defeated the University of Tampa JV (2-4) 18-7. With the win, the Manatees are now 26-1-1 against the Spartans.
"The guys swung the bats good, aside from the two innings they (Tampa JV) scored, and they had some decent pitching no matter who were playing," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Tampa JV had some good arms. It's always nice to get a win, no matter who you're playing, but we should not take them for granted because they have a good program."
"We did well," said sophomore Kevin Karstetter. "We came out ready to play and we hit the ball and pitched well."
"I thought we did good," said freshman Jalen Hairston. "We came out with a lot of energy and put the bat on the ball and scored runs."
"We got up early in the lead," said freshman Brendan Albrittain. "It made it easy for us to pitch and throw it over the plate to see if they could hit and we threw some good pitches."
Hill II sent freshman Preston Wetherell to the mound while Tampa JV head coach Mark Johnson went with sophomore Jackson Shembekar to counter.
The Manatees would strike first in the bottom of the first as sophomore Lucas Ismaili would send a two-run homer to center to bring in Karstetter for his first of the season. After a double by classmate Mario Lopez, Jr., sophomore Austin Dearing would send a single to left to bring in Lopez, Jr. to make it 3-0 SCF.
In the bottom of the second, the Manatees extended their lead further. After a one-out walk drawn by freshman Erick Almonte before he stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error, sophomore Brayden Woodburn would send an infield single to short to bring in Almonte. After back-to-back single by Karstetter and Ismaili, Woodburn would score on a wild pitch before Lopez reach on a fielding error before being called out at second while Karstetter and Ismaili scored to make it 7-0 SCF.
The Spartans would get on the board at the top of the third after scoring on a wild pitch before freshmen Bobby Faluso and Nolan Hick each hit into a sacrifice fly and classmate Ethan Strikowski hit an RBI single to make it 7-4 SCF.
The Manatees seemed unfazed as Hairston would send a two-run homer to right to bring in sophomore Ben Gilbert for a 9-4 SCF lead. It was in fact Hairston's first collegiate hit and first collegiate home run.
"It felt good, especially with it being my first collegiate hit of the season," said Hairston on hitting the home run. "It was a good feeling for me."
"Jalen is a good player and has helped us out on the mound a lot more than swinging the bat," said Hill II on Hairston. "I thought I'd give him another shot to play tonight and he did well. I'm very happy for him hitting his first collegiate home run with a nice swing."
At the top of the fourth, Hill would pull Wetherell and send Albrittain to the mound. Despite putting a runner on base from a fielding error, the former Hillsborough CC pitcher struck out two to get out of the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees would get into double digit scoring as Gilbert would score on a wild pitch for a 10-4 SCF lead. Two innings later, Karstetter would send a double to center to bring in freshman Jayce Blalock to make it 11-4 SCF.
Hill II would make another pitching change as he sent freshman Evan Mastromauro would come in. Despite giving up a single and an error, the former Stetson Hatter was able to get out of the top of the eighth.
In the bottom half of the eighth, the Manatees kept their offensive onslaught of scoring beginning with Lopez, Jr. getting hit by a pitch. After back-to-back singles by Dearing and Gilbert, Blalock and Almonte would draw back-to-back bases loaded walk and bring in Lopez, Jr. and Dearing. A fielder's choice by Woodburn would bring in Gilbert. After Karstetter and Ismaili hit back-to-back RBI singles to bring in Blalock and Woodburn, Lopez, Jr., who batted around would add the final runs after a two-RBI single to bring in Karstetter and Ismaili to make it 18-4 SCF.
The Spartans would add their final runs of the game after an RBI single by freshman Aiden Nolasco and two-run homer by junior Jose Silva III made it 18-7 still in favor of the Manatees, but it was all they could produce as the Manatees took the win.
Wetherell would earn a no-decision after giving up three runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Albrittain would secure his first collegiate win after throwing four hitless innings of relief with six strikeouts, while Mastromauro gave up four runs on four hits with one strikeout in two innings of relief.
"I felt good," said Albrittain on his game. "I had a decent amount of time to work on some things, but I thought I got back in the rhythm of things and did well."
"Brendan did a nice job getting strikes," said Hill II on Albrittain.
Shembaker would be dubbed with the loss after giving up seven runs (five earned) on eight hits with one walk and one strikeout in one and two-thirds innings.
Six Manatees had a multi-hit game. Karstetter and Dearing both had four hits each. Karstetter (4-for-4) added two RBI, three runs and one walk, while Dearing added one RBI, one run and one walk.
"I felt good," said Karstetter on his game. "I tried to hit the ball hard and that usually does good for us."
Ismaili was 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs, while Lopez, Jr. lead the way in RBI as he finished 2-for-5 with four RBI and two runs.
Alongside Lopez, Hairston and Gilbert each had two hits. Hairston (2-for-5) had a home run and two RBI, while Gilbert (2-for-4) added three runs and a walk.
Woodburn (1-for-5, two RBI, two runs and one walk) and Almonte (1-for-2, one RBI, one run, one walk and two stolen bases) had the remaining two hits, while Blalock (one RBI, two runs and two walks) also contributed.
For the Spartans, Silva III was the only one with a multi-hit and multi-RBI game as he went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs.
Other Suncoast Scores:
St. Pete (2-11) fell to RV Florida Southwestern (10-6) 13-5. The Titans will Santa Fe College (18-1) in a doubleheader Saturday, February 25 at 12 and 3 pm.
Hillsborough (8-8) defeated RV Pasco-Hernando State (8-7) 3-2. The Hawks will take on Lake Sumter State (5-8) Wednesday afternoon, February 22 at 2 pm.
Polk State (10-7) defeated #14 St. John's River State (12-6) 12-5. The Eagles will take on St. John's River State Wednesday night, February 22 at 3 pm.
Up Next:
The Manatees remain at home as they welcome Miami Dade (9-6-1) to Wynn Field Wednesday afternoon, February 22 at 3 pm. Freshman Trey Clucas will be given the nod to start the game.