Baseball Slays Eastern Florida for Game One

Bradenton, Fla - Sophomore Erick Almonte's heroics at the plate and on the field helped the SCF baseball team (27-21, 14-14 Citrus) pull off a big win as they defeated Eastern Florida State (21-23-1, 12-16 Citrus) 6-5 at Robert C. Wynn Field.

"I thought today's game was a playoff atmosphere type of game today," said head coach Tim Hill II. "Both teams were fighting for their life and it came down to the very last pitch and fortunately we got one more run than Eastern Florida."

"I think we came together well," said Almonte. "We were a little sloppy in the beginning, but we came through and got the win."

"I thought it was a great battle and we played great as a team," said freshman Luke Boykin. "Pitching was great for both sides and we came on top."

"It was definitely a battle for us," said sophomore Brandon Clarke. "We went through a bit of a deficit early, but we found a way to battle back and got the dub."

Hill II sent Clarke (5-2, 4.69 ERA) to start the game, while Titans head coach Steven Brown went with redshirt sophomore Zaylen Perry (1-2, 4.88 ERA) to counter.

The Titans would get on the board first at the top of the first after a sacrifice fly by redshirt sophomore Hector Mangual. The Manatees would respond back in the bottom of the second as Almonte would send a sacrifice fly to center to bring in freshman Mario Trivella to tie the game at 1-1.

At the top of the third, the Titans would regain the lead after a two-run single by freshman Ryan Cerrone made it 3-1 Eastern Florida. They would make it 4-1 after sophomore Laheim Bell scored on a wild pitch. The Manatees would not faulter in the bottom half of the inning as Boykin would send a two-out solo home run to left for his third of the season to make it 4-2 still in the Titans' favor.

"I felt good hitting the home run," said Boykin on his home run. "I was trying to see good pitches and it paid off for the win."

The Manatees would continue to fight in the bottom of the fifth beginning with a leadoff single by sophomore Jalen Hairston. After classmate Santiago Ordonez (single) and freshman Walker Vanecek (walk) loaded the bases, freshman Hayden Gustavson would cut the lead to one as he sent a sacrifice fly to left to bring in Hairston before sophomore Luis Garrido sent a single to left to bring in Ordonez and tie the game at 4-4.

After Clarke finished the sixth, Hill II would send freshman Daniel Hartley to the mound at the top of the seventh. Following the change in pitchers, the Titans would regain the lead as freshman Jeff Davis would score on a fielding error to make it 5-4. Hartley was still able to get out of the inning before fighting through the top of the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Manatees put together the rally that they needed beginning with a leadoff single to right by Garrido. After Trivella moved Garrido to second on a sacrifice and Boykin struck out, all eyes turned to Almonte on the first pitch as the upcoming transfer for the University of Central Florida towered a two-run homer to right for his third of the season.

"I was thanking god for the day in the beginning of the game and asking for peace," said Almonte on his home run. "From there, I got a good pitch and hit it out to help the team win."

With Hartley still on the mound, the Titans hit a two-out single to stay alive. Cerrone, who would step to the plate on a full count, would hit a line drive to try and get a single, but Almonte's defense would pay off as he dove for the ball for the game-saving catch to seal the victory for the Manatees.

"I was just ready to dive for the ball," said Almonte on the catch. "In the end, it paid off and we got the win."

"Erick was the player of the game," said Hill II on Almonte. "He really came in clutch for us when we were down and when we needed him."

Clarke and Perry would both earn no-decisions in their starts. Clarke would give up four runs (three earned) on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts in six innings of work, while Perry gave up four runs on six hits with five walks and five strikeouts in four and a third innings.

"I felt pretty good on the mound," said Clarke. "I was giving up contact early in the game and was a little behind, but as the game went on, I got sharper and was able to get ahead and get batters out to help get the win."

Hartley would improve to 2-3 after giving up one unearned run on two hits with two strikeouts in three innings of relief.

"I felt good with my fastball command," said Hartley. "I was just trying to let my defense work."

Sophomore Anthony Cordero would fall to 1-1 and get a blown save after giving up two runs on three hits with one walk and one strikeout in two innings of relief.

Three Manatees had a multi-hit game. It was Almonte that lead the way as he went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and one stolen base. Hairston would also go 3-for-4 with a run and a walk, while Garrido rounded out the order after going 2-for-3 with an RBI, one run and one walk.

Ordonez (1-for-5, one run), Boykin (1-for-3, one home run and one walk) and freshman Allan Gil-Fernandez (1-for-5) had the remaining three hits, while Gustavson (one RBI), Trivella (one run and one walk) and freshman Walker Vanecek (two walks) also contributed in the game.

For the Titans, redshirt sophomore Carlos Cordero lead the way in hitting as he went 3-for-4 with two runs, while Cerrone lead the way offensively as he went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Other Citrus Conference Scores:

RV Indian River State (32-11, 20-8 Citrus) 14, Hillsborough (23-26, 9-19 Citrus) 3

Santa Fe (28-18, 16-12 Citrus) 10, St. Pete (16-27, 9-19 Citrus) 0

Central Florida (27-20, 15-13 Citrus) 15, Daytona State (16-24, 8-20 Citrus) 12

#12 Florida Southwestern (32-16, 21-7 Citrus) 6, Miami Dade (24-22, 16-12 Citrus) 2

Polk State (32-19, 17-11 Citrus) 9, Seminole State College of Florida (24-24, 11-17 Citrus) 2

Citrus Conference Standings:

1. #12 Florida Southwestern (32-16, 21-7)

2. RV Indian River State (32-11, 20-8)

3. Polk State (32-19, 17-11)

4. Miami Dade (24-22, 16-12)

5. Miami Dade (24-22, 16-12)

6. Central Florida (27-20, 15-13)

7. SCF (27-21, 14-14)

8.  Eastern Florida State (21-23-1, 12-16)

9. Seminole State College of Florida (24-24, 11-17)

10. Hillsborough (23-26, 9-19)

11. St. Pete (16-27, 9-19)

12. Daytona State (16-24, 8-20)

Up Next:

The Manatees will look to keep pushing to get a spot in the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 State Tournament as they will head to Melbourne to continue their series with Eastern Florida State at Bruce Bochy Field Saturday afternoon, April 20 at 1 and 3:30 pm. Redshirt freshman Palmer O'Beirne (5-1, 5.52 ERA) will start game one, while sophomore Preston Wetherell (1-2, 5.79 ERA) will start game two.