OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The College of Central Florida Patriots had a chance to secure their second Citrus Conference series win in a row but fell twice on the road to the State College of Florida Manatees, 6-5 and 12-10, this past Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. CF Head Coach Marty Smith said, “We gave ourselves the opportunity to win in both games, but we need to learn to close games out better.”
CF hit four homeruns–all solo–in the first game of the day but fell 6-5 when SCF’s Holden Brauner singled home Ryan Kaitz for the walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lance Hartley started on the mound for the Pats and went four innings allowing five hits, four runs with five strikeouts. Brett House hit two homeruns (3,4) while Jose Correa hit his third of the season and Talan Beckford connected for his fourth HR of the year.
In the second game of the day the Pats built a 10-1 lead in the sixth inning only to see the Manatees (10-7, 4-2) rally for one run in the sixth and ten runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for the 12-10 win. Jay Jung had a quality start for CF going 5.2 innings allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 0 walks and 6 strikeouts. The Pats hit three more homeruns in this game with Bruno Schafer (2), Cal Johnson (4), and Victor Martinez (4) all going deep.
The Patriots are currently 8-10 on the season and 3-3 in Citrus Conference play. They will look to rebound at home on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM against Tallahassee State College. All home games are played at Goodlett Field on the CF campus in Ocala and are free to the public.