"While we had a lot of chances to score, I will take the win," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Brandon (Clarke) was awesome and we know that we will be in games like these. Hillsborough played well, but we were the ones that came out on top."

 

"I thought it was a great and hard-fought team win overall," said sophomore Brandon Clarke. "We played fantastic defense and our pitching was incredible to keep us moving. It was an awesome win."

 

"I thought it was a great team win," said freshman Daniel Hartley. "Everyone was up in the dugout and we were there for each other."

 

"The energy was really good and Brandon (Clarke) pitched really good," said freshman Walker Vanecek. "While we did miss some timely hitting, we got the job done and got the dub."

 

Hill II sent Clarke (4-2, 4.99 ERA) to start the opening series game while HCC head coach Raydon Leaton went with sophomore Mason Tinsley (2-5, 5.00 ERA) to counter.

 

After the first inning went scoreless, the Manatees would jump on the board first in the bottom of the second as sophomore Erick Almonte would line a single to right to bring in Vanecek to make it 1-0 SCF.

 

While the Manatees maintained their 1-0 lead, Clarke would continue his role on the mound as he was able to keep the Hawks from reaching base. At the top of the fifth, he would load the bases full of Hawks, but a flyout to center kept the Manatees lead alive.

 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Manatees would increase the lead to 2-0 as Almonte would hit an RBI double and bring in sophomore Jayce Blalock.

 

Clarke would head into the seventh with a runner on and two outs but with the defense behind him, he was able to finish the seventh inning with ease.

 

Hartley would come in at the top of the eighth for Clarke and get into some trouble as the Hawks would score on a fielder's choice before closing the inning with a strikeout before closing the top of the ninth with a strikeout to seal the deal.

 

Clarke would improve to 5-2 after throwing seven scoreless innings with two hits, four walks and eight strikeouts, while Hartley earned his second save after giving up one run on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts in two innings of relief.

 

"I felt good on the mound," said Clarke. "I just tried to attack the hitters and try to use a good amount of breaking balls and they really helped me get ahead of the batters and threw them off-balance and it helped get the win."

 

"I knew when it was a 2-1 ball game, I had to make an adjustment after my first inning of work and keep it close to win the game," said Hartley. "The outfielder made a good play in the game and I got a big strikeout to close it and set the tone."

 

Tinsley would fall to 2-6 after giving up two runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts in four innings.

 

Almonte would lead the way in hitting and offense as he went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Vanecek would round out the order as he went 2-for-3 with one run and one walk.

 

"I felt good," said Vanecek. "I was seeing the ball really well and it felt good getting two hits."

 

Blalock (1-for-2, one run and one walk) and sophomores Jalen Hairston (1-for-4) and Santiago Ordonez (1-for-2, one walk) had the remaining three hits, while sophomore Luis Garrido (one walk) and freshman Luke Boykin (one walk) also contributed in the game.

 

For the Hawks, freshman Bennett Weinard lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-4 at the plate.

 

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

Polk State (21-15, 9-7 Citrus) defeated Daytona State (13-15, 5-11 Citrus) 10-8.

 

Santa Fe (18-13, 9-7 Citrus) defeated Central Florida (18-14, 7-9 Citrus) 2-0.

 

Eastern Florida State (16-15-1, 7-9 Citrus) defeated Florida Southwestern (20-12, 11-5 Citrus) 5-4.

 

Seminole State College (18-14, 7-9 Citrus) defeated RV Indian River State (22-8, 11-5 Citrus) 11-2.

 

St. Pete College (11-18, 5-11 Citrus) defeated Miami Dade (16-15, 10-6 Citrus) 14-11.

 

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. RV Indian River State (22-8, 11-5)

2. Florida Southwestern (20-12, 11-5)

3. Miami Dade (16-15, 10-6)

4. Polk State (21-15, 9-7)

5. Santa Fe (18-13, 9-7)

6. SCF (19-13, 8-8)

7. Central Florida (18-14, 7-9)

8. Seminole State College (18-14, 7-9)

9. Hillsborough (18-15, 7-9)

10. Eastern Florida State (16-15-1, 7-9)

11. Daytona State 13-15, 5-11)

12. St. Pete College (11-18, 5-11)

 

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to garner their first sweep in conference play over Hillsborough as they travel to Tampa for a doubleheader Saturday afternoon, March 23 at 1 and 4 pm at Himes Complex. Sophomore Ed Wagner (2-4, 6.75 ERA) will start game one, while freshman Palmer O'Beirne (4-1, 5.09 ERA) will be given the nod for game two.