Posted: Mar 19, 2024
Bradenton, Fla - The SCF baseball team (18-13, 7-8 Citrus) were able to get back on track for winning as they defeated Florida Southwestern (20-11, 11-4 Citrus) 7-2 at Wynn Field.
"It's nice to get back on the win column after a tough week last week and didn't play the way we're usually capable of playing," said head coach Tim Hill II. "It was nice to see the guys bounce back. Both us and FSW were banged up a bit, but it was nice to see the guys get a win on their home field against a good program."
"I felt like everyone in the dugout and on the field was behind each other every step of the way," said sophomore Bryan Gomez. "It's how we bounce back from a tough week last week. It was a good start for us this week and for conference."
"I thought our energy was a lot better as a team," said freshman Ryan Slattery. "I thought we worked together as a team in the dugout and on the field."
Hill II sent freshman Gavyn Bowen (0-0, 7.94 ERA) to start the game, while FSW head coach Zach Cole went with sophomore Alex Walsh (1-2, 11.53 ERA) to counter.
The Buccaneers would get on the board first at the top of the first as sophomore Justin Thomas would score on a failed double steal attempt for a 1-0 FSW lead. In the bottom of the second, the Manatees would tie the game at 1-1 as sophomore LT Cockrill would send a double to deep right field to bring in freshman Daniel Hartley.
The Manatees would take their first lead of the game in the bottom of the third beginning with a leadoff walk by sophomore Erick Almonte. After classmate Jalen Hairston reached on a fielding error, freshman Allan Gil-Fernandez would reach on a fielder's choice and bring in Almonte after a Buccaneers fielding error before advancing to second. Classmate Luke Boykin would then hit a single to left to bring in Gil-Fernandez before Hartley and Cockrill drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Sophomore Jayce Blalock would then draw a walk of his own to bring in Boykin before Hartley scored on a passed ball to make it 5-1 SCF.
The Manatees would add their final runs on the board as Hairston and sophomore Santiago Ordonez would score on two wild pitches to make it 7-1 SCF in the bottom of the fourth. The Buccaneers would their final run at the top of the fifth as Thomas would hit a leadoff solo home run to left for his sixth of the season, but it would be all they could produce as the Manatees sealed the victory.
Bowen would earn a no-decision in his first collegiate start after giving up one run on one hit with six walks in three innings. Gomez would improve to 3-0 after giving up one run on one hit with one walk and one strikeout in one inning of relief.
"I felt pretty good today," said Gomez. "My breaking pitches weren't all there, but my fastball came through. I just got to stay sharp."
Slattery, who made his Manatee debut after transferring from the University of Pittsburgh, threw two scoreless innings of relief with two hits and two strikeouts. It was his first time pitching since November 2023.
"It was the first I pitched in so long and a lot of people were behind me to get through the pitching," said Slattery on his debut. "I felt good making my debut. The last two months I have been working really hard to get back to this point. All the rehab and time I put in helped me make my debut strong. It just felt good to play baseball."
"It was good to see Ryan back out there after sustaining an injury in November," said Hill II on Slattery. "He's finally healthy enough and was competitive enough to throw strikes, so I was glad to see that."
Sophomore Trey Clucas and freshmen Dylan DeLeo and Aidan McBride would each throw one scoreless inning of relief with Clucas adding one strikeout and McBride adding two strikeouts.
Walsh would fall to 1-3 after giving up seven runs (three earned) on three hits with eight walks and two strikeouts in three and two-thirds innings.
Hairston (1-for-4, one run and one stolen base), Boykin (1-for-2, one RBI, one run and two walks) and Cockrill (1-for-2, one RBI and one run) each had one of the Manatees three hits, while Almonte (one run and one walk), Gil-Fernandez (one run), Ordonez (one run and one walk), Hartley (two runs and three walks), Blalock (one RBI and two walks) and sophomore Luis Garrido (one walk) also contributed in the game.
Thomas and sophomore Jared Davis would lead the way in hitting as they each went 2-for-4 at the plate.
Other Citrus Conference Scores:
Hillsborough (18-14, 7-8 Citrus) fell to A3 Academy by a score of 5-2.
Central Florida (18-13, 7-8 Citrus) defeated Florida State College at Jacksonville (11-16, 5-7 Sun Lakes) 9-7.
RV Indian River State (22-7, 11-4 Citrus) defeated Eastern Florida State (15-15-1, 6-9 Citrus) 8-7.
Polk State (20-14, 8-6 Citrus) defeated Warner University JV 5-1.
Seminole State College (17-14, 6-9 Citrus) fell to St. John's River State (21-12, 7-5 Sun Lakes) 20-10.
Miami Dade (15-14, 9-5 Citrus) defeated United International College (6-8-1) 10-0 in five innings via mercy rule.
Citrus Conference Standings:
1. RV Indian River State (22-7, 11-4)
2. Florida Southwestern (20-11, 11-4)
3. Miami Dade (15-14, 9-5)
4. Polk State (20-14, 8-6)
5. Santa Fe (17-13, 8-7)
6. Central Florida (18-13, 7-8)
7. SCF (18-13, 7-8)
8. Hillsborough (18-14, 7-8)
9. Seminole State (17-14, 6-9)
10. Eastern Florida State (15-15-1, 6-9)
11. Daytona State (13-14, 5-10)
12. St. Pete (10-18, 4-11)
Up Next:
The Manatees will resume conference play with a three-game series against Hillsborough. Game one will take place at Wynn Field Thursday night, March 21 at 6 pm, while games two and three will be played in a doubleheader at the New York Yankees Himes Complex in Tampa Saturday afternoon, March 23 at 1 and 4 pm.
Sophomore Brandon Clarke (4-2, 4.99 ERA) will start game one at home, while classmate Ed Wagner (2-4, 6.75 ERA) starts game two and freshman Palmer O'Beirne (4-0, 5.09 ERA) starts game three on the road.