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Errors Plague Panther Softball Squad

Manatee Blanks SFCC Baseball Team

Brian Gjurgevich/Highlands Today

SFCC softball coach Carlos Falla (center) speaks to his team on Tuesday between innings.

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Highlands Today staff report

Published: February 20, 2008

AVON PARK — Carlos Falla is wondering where the team that played so well during fall ball disappeared to.

The South Florida Community College softball coach watched his team commit 10 errors over two games and drop both games of a doubleheader — 3-0 and 9-1 — to Indian River CC on Tuesday at Panther Field.

"I can't figure out why, when we practice we do things real well, but we can't seem to bring that to the games," Falla said. "Not making routine plays comes back to haunt you, especially when you're playing good teams."

Pitcher Addie Tallman threw well in the opener, but a throwing error in the third inning cost her big: With two runners on base by infield singles, Tallman's wild throw to third base from the circle allowed two runs to score. A sharp single through the left side by Cindy Cuare then scored the run, and a 3-0 lead was more than enough for Pioneer pitcher Lauren Varsaluna, who yielded just four Panther hits.

"We're being too defensive at the plate," Falla said. "We're swinging not to miss instead of to hit the ball. We have to quit playing scared and just go out there and play."

The Panthers managed to score once the nightcap on a bases-loaded RBI by Kayla Finney, but five errors again cost SFCC a victory.

Lindsey Andree kept the Pioneers off-balance for the first three innings in the nightcap, but IRCC smacked a two-run homer in the fourth and Caitlin Houk surrendered three runs — one earned.

"We have some stuff to figure out," said Falla, whose Panthers (3-11) face their final non-conference tune-up today at Central Florida CC. "Our record doesn't amount to a hill of beans once we start playing in conference.

"We just need to be consistent and show some aggressiveness — we need to show a desire to win and not get down on ourselves when we're down one or two runs."

SFCC opens up Suncoast Conference play on Feb. 28 against Hillsborough CC in Plant City.

BASEBALL: Manatee CC 4, SFCC 0
BRADENTON — The Panthers out-hit fourth-ranked Manatee 12-6, but where it matters the most, the South Florida Community College baseball team came up short in a 4-0 loss on Tuesday.

"We just could not get it done when we were in position to," said SFCC head coach Rick Hitt. "We hit into two double plays with the bases loaded and left runners on second and third twice. We played a solid game minus our inability to get a key hit."

Panther hurler Jasper Brown scattered six hits over six innings and struck out five in the loss, but it was the walks that came back to hurt the visitors.

Three walks by Brown and reliever Cameron Nelson all scored, a stat Coach Hitt wasn't happy with.
"The walks have to go, plain and simple," Hitt said. "When your margin of error against the competition level you are facing is so small, you cannot provide freebies or extra outs.

"But we were in the game all night and just could not break it open."
Freshman catcher Gerry Neufang went 3-for-4 and Taiwan Perry went 3-for-5 for the Panthers, who welcome CCBC Dundalk of Maryland to Panther Field on Friday.

First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

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