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Florida State College at Jacksonville Athletics
FSCJ Baseball at the plate vs South Florida State College on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
March 9, 2026

Manta Rays Take Series from South Florida with Offensive Firepower

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The FSCJ Manta Rays captured a weekend series against South Florida State, winning two of three games at FSCJ North Campus behind timely hitting and clutch performances from Newman and Vazquez.

Game 1: Manta Rays 10, Panthers 2

Newman went 3 for 5 with three RBIs Friday to power FSCJ to a dominant series-opening victory. The Manta Rays erased an early 1-0 deficit with two runs in the first inning before breaking the game open with a seven-run seventh.

After South Florida State scored first, Newman doubled home a run in the bottom of the first and Disbrow followed with an RBI single to give FSCJ a 2-1 lead. Prudencio's RBI double in the second extended the advantage to 3-1.

The Manta Rays put the game away in the seventh as 12 batters came to the plate. Newman ignited the rally with an RBI single, and Disbrow, Hartsell, Prudencio, Daneault and Martineau all contributed before Newman capped the inning with his third RBI.

Left-hander Carson earned the win, allowing one unearned run on five hits over five innings with three strikeouts. FSCJ finished with 15 hits, including three each from Newman, Disbrow and Prudencio.

Game 2: Manta Rays 11, Panthers 10

Vazquez delivered a walk-off, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh Saturday to complete a dramatic comeback victory in the first game of a doubleheader.

Trailing 10-9 entering the final frame, the Manta Rays rallied against the Panthers' closer to secure the thrilling win.

The back-and-forth contest featured five lead changes. After Collins' sacrifice fly gave FSCJ an early 1-0 lead, South Florida State scored five in the second to take control. Newman's solo home run in the third cut the deficit to 5-2, and the Manta Rays exploded for five runs in the fourth—highlighted by Vazquez's two-run single—to grab an 8-6 advantage.

The Panthers tied it in the fifth before Collins' RBI fielder's choice put FSCJ ahead 9-8 in the sixth. South Florida State scored twice in the seventh to take a 10-9 lead, setting up Vazquez's heroics.

Vazquez finished 3 for 4 with three RBIs to lead the offense, while Newman added three hits, including the home run. Bradley earned the win with three innings of relief, striking out seven.

Game 3: Panthers 4, Manta Rays 1

South Florida State salvaged the series finale with a 4-1 victory in Saturday's second game, taking control with three runs in the second inning.

Hansen allowed three runs on 10 hits over four innings for FSCJ, while Musgrove provided five strong innings of relief, surrendering just one run.

Newman drove in the Manta Rays' only run, and Collins finished 2 for 4. The Panthers' starter limited FSCJ to four hits over six innings to secure the win.

Despite dropping the finale, the Manta Rays' offensive firepower in the first two games—combining for 21 runs on 29 hits—proved the difference in the series. Newman's consistent production throughout the weekend and Vazquez's clutch hitting highlighted FSCJ's balanced attack.

Next up: at Central Florida on Tuesday, March 10 at 3 p.m. 

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