By Pat Clines

Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (21-18, 10-1 Suncoast) continued adding wins to the board for conference play as they defeated Polk State (21-16, 6-5 Suncoast) 11-1 in seven innings via the 10-run mercy rule. With the win, the Manatees took their third series in Suncoast Conference play and are now 41-31 against the Eagles.

"I thought it was great getting another run-rule victory," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Ryan (Stefiuk) was the story of the game. From the beginning, he had a very good first inning and was in control the whole way. The hitters swung the bat really well and when they continue hitting like that, a lot of good things happen. We're pitching really good, we're swinging the bats really well and are play good defense, and when you put all three of those together, things are probably going your way."

"I thought we did great overall," said sophomore Ryan Stefiuk. "The bats stayed hot as we got deep in the game. I feel like we're just clicking on all cylinders right now and need to keep it going."

"Ryan (Stefiuk) threw a gem today and we're just playing good team baseball," said sophomore Richie Morales. "We just got to keep it rolling."

Hill went with Stefiuk to start game three, while head coach Al Corbeil went with freshman Trevor Caldwell.

After the first two innings went scoreless, the Manatees would strike first in the bottom of the third as Morales would bring in himself and freshman Jayce Blalock in with a two-run homer to left. It was the former FSU Seminole's first collegiate home run in his career.

"Honestly, when I hit it, I had no clue if it was going out," said Morales on hitting his first home run. "I thought it was a flyout until I heard my teammates screaming in the dugout and at that point, I knew it was gone. I felt good after that."

"I was not surprised at all," said Hill on Morales. "Right when Richie hit, I knew it was gone. He's a good player and an excellent shortstop. That's why we have leadoff for a reason because he can get us going." 

At the top of the fourth, the Eagles would cut the deficit to 2-1 after an RBI single by sophomore Travis Stapleton, but it would make the Manatees respond back in the bottom half of the inning. After sophomore Brayden Woodburn hit a single and stole second, classmates Victor Sanchez and Ben Gilbert drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Blalock. Woodburn would end up scoring on a fielder's choice before Blalock sent a double to left to bring in Sanchez and Gilbert to make it 5-1 SCF.

The Manatees would continue to add to the lead in the bottom of the fifth as freshman Evan Mastromauro, who came in to pinch run for sophomore Mario Lopez, Jr., would score on a fielding error after a fielder's choice by Sanchez. They would add two more in the bottom of the sixth as freshman Erick Almonte would an RBI single to bring in Morales to make it 7-1 SCF.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Manatees decided to end the game via run rule. After a leadoff single by Woodburn and a walk drawn by Sanchez, Gilbert would send a single to center and bring in Woodburn. After Morales drew a walk to load the bases, Sanchez would come in on a wild pitch before Almonte was hit by a pitch to reload the bases for Karstetter. On a 1-1 count, the upcoming Arizona State Transfer would line a single to center and bring in Gilbert and Morales to seal the deal for the walk-off win.

Stefiuk would improve to 2-3 after throwing a seven-inning complete game giving up one run on eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

"I felt good," said Stefiuk. "I thought the changeup was the biggest thing for me today. I was able to get a lot of ground ball and weak contact to get ahead more often than that. Overall, I felt good."

Caldwell would fall to 3-2 after giving up five runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts in three innings. Freshman Ryan Combs would give up one unearned run on one hit with one walk in two innings of relief, while classmate Everett Martin gave up five runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts in one and a third of relief.

Four Manatees ended up with a multi-hit game. It was Karstetter that lead the way in hits as he went 3-for-5 with two RBI. Morales (2-for-3) and Blalock (2-for-4) each had two hits and two RBI. Morales added three runs and two walks, while Blalock added one run. Woodburn rounded out the order going 2-for-3 with two runs and three stolen bases.

Almonte (1-for-4, one RBI), Lopez (1-for-2) and Gilbert (1-for-3, one RBI, two runs and one walk) had the remaining three hits, while Sanchez (two runs and two walks) also contributed in the game.

For the Eagles, freshman Ray Bermudez lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-3 at the plate, while classmate Roberto Odor was 2-for-3.

Notes:

Karstetter extends his hitting streak to 29 games and with his three hits, he now has 198 career hits. Additionally, his three RBI put him at 142 in his career and needs three more to break Corbeil's record for career RBI (145, 1998-99).

Other Suncoast Scores:

St. Pete (11-20, 5-6 Suncoast) defeated Hillsborough (6-29, 1-10 Suncoast) 8-7 in Clearwater. The Titans are looking to take the overall series, while the Hawks look for the split.

Suncoast Conference Standings:

1. SCF (21-18, 10-1)

2. Polk State (21-16, 6-5)

3. St. Pete (11-20, 5-6)

4. Hillsborough (6-29, 1-10)

Up Next:

The Manatees look to complete the sweep as they return to Bing Tyus Yard in Winter Haven Wednesday night, March 29 at 6 pm. Freshman Jeremy Weaver (2-1, 3.62 ERA) will be given the nod to pitch in his hometown.