By Pat Clines
Bradenton, Fla - The SCF softball team (13-11) will put their non-conference slate to the side as they look to focus on Suncoast Conference play. The Manatees will welcome Hillsborough (10-13) to the SCF Softball Complex Tuesday night, March 14 at 5 and 7 pm.
Suncoast Conference Standings:
1. SCF (13-11)
2. St. Pete (11-10)
3. Polk State (8-9)
4. Hillsborough (10-13)
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of opening their eight-game homestead with a sweep over Kalamazoo Valley CC by scores of 6-2 and 8-2.
Gaining Power:
Freshman Alissa Kessler has been one of the Manatees most powerful bats this season. Kessler is batting .433 with 29 hits, three home runs and 19 RBI. Against Kalamazoo Valley, she was 4-for-6 with a home run and four RBI.
Kessler is ranked tied for #16 in the state in batting average.
Pitching Strong:
Sophomore Sam Carlin and freshmen Karsyn Rutherford and Brielle Bostow lead the way in pitching.
Carlin is currently 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA, 10 walks and 14 strikeouts. In her last outing on the mound, the former product of Riverview High threw her first collegiate game with one walk and five strikeouts.
Rutherford pitched a complete game against Kalamazoo Valley with two walks and five strikeouts. The product of Venice High is currently 6-4 with a 2.92 ERA, 14 walks and 23 strikeouts. She is also batting .267 with four hits and two RBI.
Bostow is currently 3-6 overall with a 2.09 ERA, 18 walks and 34 strikeouts.
Copeland Contact:
Like Kessler, sophomore Tori Copeland has been been one of the Manatees most effective batters. Copeland is batting .361 with 26 hits, two home runs and 15 RBI. She was 2-for-9 against Kalamazoo Valley.
O'Kimosh Hitting Strong:
Sophomore Presley O'Kimosh has also been the batting strongly in three of the last five games. O'Kimosh is coming off of one of her best hitting games in her collegiate career as she went 3-for-3 with an RBI against Kalamazoo Valley. The Green Bay native is currently batting .303 with 10 hits and four RBI.
Cajun Speed:
Sophomore Chantel Schurr has been displaying some speed in her last few games on the basepaths. Schurr is batting .243 with 18 hits, two home runs, seven RBI and eight stolen bases. She was 2-for-8 with three runs and a stolen base.
Speeding Along:
Speaking of speed on the basepaths, sophomore Olivia Seibert and freshmen Haley Rosenbaum, Maddisan Noriega and Stephanie Oaks lead the way.
Seibert is currently batting .266 with 17 hits, 11 RBI and 13 stolen bases. She was 2-for-8 with an RBI and a stolen base against Kalamazoo Valley.
Rosenbaum is batting .286 with 16 hits, one home run, three RBI and 15 stolen bases. She went 1-for-5 with a stolen base.
Noriega is batting .171 with six hits, five RBI and six stolen bases. In the second game against Kalamazoo Valley, she was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Oaks is batting .204 with 11 hits, three RBI and nine stolen bases. She went 1-for-4 against Kalamazoo Valley.
Hollaback (Halback) on the Hits:
Freshman Taylor Halback showed a side of power against Kalamazoo Valley as she went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. In fact, it was her first collegiate home run this season. Halback is batting .300 with nine hits, one home run and 15 RBI so far this season.
Wild Rides:
As far as the wildcards on the team, sophomores Gabi Nicholson and Renee Dixon are two of them.
Nicholson is batting .205 with eight hits, one home run and six RBI.
Dixon is batting .231 with three hits and three RBI.
Scouting HCC:
The Hawks are currently in last place in the standings and are coming off of a split against St. John's River State winning game one 11-8 before losing game two 4-0.
Sophomore Rebecca Hazard leads the offense overall for the Hawks. Hazard is batting .459 with 34 hits, four home runs and 25 RBI. She was 2-for-7 with two RBI against St. John's River State.
Freshman Nathaly Galvis Bermedez is batting .431 with 31 hits, three home runs and 15 RBI. Galvis Bermedez was 3-for-3 in game two against St. John's River State.
On the mound, sophomore Shaniyah Pope is 4-4 with a 3.17 ERA, 16 walks and 21 strikeouts while batting .325 with 25 hits, two home runs and 19 RBI. In her last appearance on the mound, Pope earned the loss in game two against St. John's River State.
Series History:
Overall, the Manatees are 34-11 against the Hawks. Last season, the Manatees took the series 3-2 overall.
How to Keep Up: