Posted: Feb 09, 2024
Tallahassee, Fla - Sophomore Jalen Hairston's five-hit game at the plate propelled the offense for the SCF baseball team (5-3) on the road as they defeated Tallahassee CC (4-3) 14-11.
Head coach Tim Hill II sent sophomore Brandon Clarke (0-0, 4.50 ERA) to the mound while TCC head coach Bryan Henry went with sophomore Connor Stanford (0-2, 9.95 ERA) to counter.
At the top of the first, the Manatees would open on the scoring range first. After a leadoff single by sophomore Luis Garrido, Hairston showcased his power as he sent a two-run blast to right for his second home run of the season. After freshman Allan Gil-Fernandez reached second on a fielding error, before moving to third on a wild pitch, and classmate Pip Smalley drew a walk, Gil-Fernandez would score after Gustavson would ground into a double play to make it 3-0 SCF. The Eagles would put their first run on the board as sophomore Luis Gomez would hit an RBI single to right to make it 3-1 SCF.
At the top of the second, the Manatees would increase their lead further. After freshman Luke Boykin hit a single and classmate Rex Smith reached base on an error, before both moved into scoring position, sophomore Preston Wetherell would send a single to cent and bring in Boykin and Smith while he advanced to second on the throw. Garrido and Hairston would then come through with back-to-back RBI singles to make it 6-1 SCF. At the top of third, it would go to 7-1 as Wetherell would send a single to left to bring in Gustavson.
In the bottom of the third, the Eagles would bring in another run as redshirt sophomore Justen Crews would score on a fielding error.
The Manatees would add another run on the board at the top of the fourth as Smalley would hit a double to right to bring in Hairston to make it 8-2. The Eagles would respond in the bottom half of the inning as redshirt freshman Anthony Castillo would cut the lead in half with a two-run double to make it 8-4 still in SCF's favor before the Manatees responded at the top of the fifth thanks to an RBI single by Hairston to drive in Boykin and make it 9-4.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hill II would pull Clarke after two singles and send freshman Trevor Zeigler to the mound. The Eagles would bring in a run after an RBI single by redshirt freshman Boone Hosey before the transfer from Cincinnati would get out of the fifth. The Eagles would then cut the Manatees' lead to 9-6 after another RBI single by Gomez, but the Manatees would respond back at the top of the seventh as Gil-Fernandez would send a double to deep left-center to bring in Wetherell and Hairston and make it 11-6 SCF before the Eagles made it 11-7 after a sacrifice fly by Crews.
At the top of the eighth, the Manatees would add their final runs on the board. After sophomore Santiago Ordonez (single), Bokyin (single) and sophomore Jayce Blalock (walk) loaded the bases, Wetherell would draw a walk of his own and bring in Ordonez. One batter later, Hairston would send a double to right and bring in Boykin and Blalock to make it 14-7 SCF.
In the bottom of the eighth, sophomore Bryan Gomez would enter the game for Zeigler, but the Eagles would counter with sophomore Gregory Melo and freshman Jacob Reigal scoring on wild pitches. They would get their final run in the bottom of the ninth as Melo and Reigal hit back-to-back RBI doubles, but it was all they could produce as Gomez was able to seal the deal with a final strikeout.
Clarke would earn his first collegiate win after giving up five runs on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts in four and a third innings.
Gomez would earn the save after giving up four runs on two hits with five walks and four strikeouts in two innings of relief, while Zeigler gave up two runs on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings of relief.
Stanford would fall to 0-3 after giving up eight runs (six earned) on 11 hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in three and a third innings.
Six Manatees each had a multi-hit game. It was Hairston that lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 5-for-5 with a home run, three runs, one walk and a career-high six RBI. Ordonez would follow as he went 4-for-6 with a run.
Wetherell (3-for-4) and Boykin (3-for-6) each had three hits. Wetherell added three RBI, two run and a walk, while Boykin added three runs scored.
Garrido (2-for-6) and Gustavson (2-for-6) rounded out the order with two hits each. Garrido added one run and one RBI, while Gustavson added one run.
Gil-Fernandez (1-for-6, one run and two RBI) and Smalley (1-for-5, one RBI and one walk) had the remaining two hits, while Smith (one run) and Blalock (one run and one walk) also contributed.
For the Eagles, four had two hits each (Castillo, Gomez, Riegal and redshirt sophomore Jesus Vanegas).
Other Citrus Conference Scores:
Daytona State (5-3) fell to Florida State College at Jacksonville (3-4) 4-1. The Falcons will play the Blue Wave Saturday afternoon, February 10 at noon.
#1 College of Central Florida (5-3) defeated South Florida State (4-6) 12-1. The Patriots will welcome South Georgia State (4-4) to Ocala for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, February 10 at 12 and 3 pm.
St. Pete College (3-4) fell to Pasco Hernando State (4-4) by a score of 9-2. The Titans will play the Bobcats again in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, February 10 at 1 and 4 pm.
Miami Dade (5-4) shutout East Georgia State College (9-1) 6-0 on day one of the three-day John Tindall Classic. The Sharks will face #15 Florence-Darlington Tech (3-3) on Saturday morning, February 10 at 10 am before facing St. John's River State at 1 pm.
Citrus Conference Standings:
1. Hillsborough (7-2)
2. Santa Fe (7-2)
3. Seminole State (6-2)
4. #1 Central Florida (5-3)
5. Daytona State (5-3)
6. Indian River State (5-3)
7. SCF (5-3)
8. Polk State (7-5)
9. Miami Dade (5-4)
10. Eastern Florida State (4-4-1)
11. #16 Florida Southwestern (4-5)
12. St. Pete (3-4)
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