Baseball Splits Day Two of Panama Classic

Panama City, Fla - The SCF baseball team (3-3) took a split to the second day of the three-day Visit Panama City Beach Baseball Classic at Publix Sports Park. The Manatees fell to Wallace CC-Dothan (3-0) before upsetting #15 Florence Darlington Tech (1-2) 8-1. The loss would send the Manatees to the gold bracket semifinals.

"I thought we beat ourselves in the first game, but responded better in the second," said head coach Tim Hill II. "The first five innings went pretty well and Ed (Wagner) threw outstanding, but we couldn't handle a bunt that opened up a big inning for Wallace Dothan. I thought Bryan (Gomez) and Adian (McBride) did a fantastic job on the mound and we had better at-bats in the second game. Looking forward to Liam (Best) finishing off a good weekend tomorrow."

SCF vs Wallace CC-Dothan:

Hill II sent sophomore Ed Wagner to the mound, while Wallace CC-Dothan head coach Ryan Ihle went with freshman Jake Middleton.

The Manatees would get on the board first as freshman Allan Gil Fernandez would send a double to left to bring in sophomore Jalen Hairston for the first run of the game.

Wagner was able to hold the Governors scoreless for the next three innings, but when the top of the fifth came, the Governors would buckle Wagner and take over the entire offense the rest of the game to the end.

Wagner would fall to 0-1 after giving up three runs (one earned) on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts in four and a third innings. Freshman Daniel Hartley would give up two runs on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings of relief, while sophomore Preston Wetherell gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits with one walk in no innings and freshman Gavyn Bowen threw one scoreless inning of relief.

Middleton would improve to 1-0 after giving up one run on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts in four innings. Sophomore Jackson Chancey threw three scorelss innings of relief giving up three hits with two strikeouts.

Gil-Fernandez would lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-3 with an RBI. He was the only Manatee in the game with a multi-hit game.

Hairston (1-for-3, one run) and freshmen Pip Smalley (1-for-4), Luke Boykin (1-for-3) and Walker Vanecek (1-for-3) had the remaining four hits.

Sophomore Sean Darnell would lead the way for the Governors as he went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

SCF vs #15 Florence Darlington Tech:

Hoping to bounce back in the gold bracket, Hill sent sophomore Bryan Gomez to the mound, while Florence Darlington Tech head coach Preston McDonald went with freshman Aydin Palmer. The Stingers fell to RV Chipola College 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

The Manatees would open on the board first at the top of the first as Gil-Fernandez would send a double to left to bring in sophomore Luis Garrido for the first run of the game. They would increase the lead further at the top of the second beginning with leadoff walk drawn by sophomore Santiago Ordonez. After a double by Wetherell put runners in scoring position, Hartley would reach first on a fielding error while Ordonez and Wetherell scored to make it 3-0 SCF.

At the top of the third, the Manatees would make it 4-0 as Gil-Fernandez would hit a solo home run to center for his first collegiate home run before the Stingers would get their only run on the board off of an RBI groundout by freshman Patrick Evans.

While the Manatees continued to hold the lead, Gomez would continue his dominance on the mound for the next one and two-thirds before freshman Aidan McBride would come in for relief and close the fifth inning.

At the top of the sixth, the Manatees would increase the lead further. After freshman Devan Meran and Garrido drew back-to-back walks, Hairston would send a single to right to bring in Meran and Garrido to make it 6-1 SCF. They would add their final runs at the top of the seventh beginning starting with an Ordonez leadoff walk. After Hartley drew a walk of his own and Meran reached first on a fielding error to load the bases, Garrido would hit into a fielder's choice and bring in Ordonez and Hartley to make it 8-1 SCF before the Manatees sealed the deal for the win and send the Stingers to the 

Gomez would earn his first collegiate win after giving up on unearned run on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings. McBride threw two and a third scoreless innings of relief, giving up three hits and striking out two batters.

Palmer would be dubbed with the loss after giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits with one walk and one strikeout in three innings.

Gil-Fernandez would lead the way in hitting as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Garrido (1-for-4) and Hairston (1-for-5) also finished with two RBI each with Garrido adding two runs scored.

Boykin (1-for-3), Wetherell (1-for-3, one run and one walk), Hartley (1-for-4, one run and one walk) and fresham  Hayden Gustavson (1-for-4) had the remaining four hits, while Ordonez (two runs and three walks) and Meran (one run and one walk) also contributed in the game.

Redshirt sophomore Ethan Plyler lead the way in hitting for the Stingers as he went 4-for-4 at the plate.

Up Next:

The Manatees will wrap up the final day of the classic as they will face St. John's River State (7-1) Sunday afternoon, February 4 at 2 pm EST (1 pm CST). Sophomore Liam Best will be given the nod to start the game.