Raiders' Season Comes to an End Following Game 2 Loss to SCF

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest Florida State's 2024 baseball season came to a close Saturday afternoon after an 11-6 loss to State College of Florida in Game Two of the FCSAA Championship Opening Round. Despite a late push fueled by Tristan Bittle's grand slam, the Raiders couldn't overcome a string of costly defensive miscues that ultimately sealed their fate.

The Raiders committed seven errors in the elimination matchup, directly leading to six of SCF's 11 runs. The Manatees capitalized on nearly every opportunity, scoring early and often, including a pair of home runs from Luke Boykin—one in the first and another in the third—that staked SCF to a quick 5-0 lead.

Northwest Florida showed life in the fourth inning when David Alvarez put the Raiders on the board with a solo home run to left field. He followed up with an RBI single later in the game, finishing 2-for-5 to lead the Raiders in hits.

SCF responded immediately in the bottom half of the fourth, once again taking advantage of defensive lapses. Three more runs scored on two errors by the Raiders, stretching the Manatee lead to 8-2.

Then came the Raiders' biggest spark of the game: with the bases loaded in the sixth, Tristan Bittle launched a towering grand slam over the left-field fence, cutting the deficit to 8-6 and giving the Raiders a shot at keeping their season alive. But it wasn't enough.

State College of Florida tacked on three more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, using yet another Raiders error, a sacrifice fly, and a groundout RBI to build the final scoreline.

Thomas Conrad started on the mound for Northwest Florida, allowing eight runs—only three of them earned—on four hits across four innings. He struck out two and walked three. Aidan Ray earned the win for SCF, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing six runs on five hits, while striking out five and walking six.

Boykin led SCF's offense, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Will Rawls and Myles Davis each added two hits, as the Manatees pieced together a balanced offensive attack and turned a key double play defensively.