Eagles win state for the first time in 20 years, Matautia named MVP

PENSACOLA, Fla. (May 5, 2014) – Tallahassee Community College's remarkable weekend hit a crescendo on Monday afternoon when the Eagles defeated the College of Central Florida, 4-1, to capture its first FCSAA State Championship in 20 years. 

Tallahassee's only other FCSAA title came in 1994 when the school competed as a slow pitch program. After winning the 1994 state championship, the Eagles went on to capture the College's first and only NJCAA Championship. 

Earlier on Monday, both Tallahassee and Central Florida punched its tickets to the NJCAA Tournament in St. George, Utah, winning its respective NJCAA region tournaments. Tallahassee won region 8B with victories in six straight elimination games, culminating with 4-2 and 5-2 wins over Polk State College. Central Florida, on the other hand, needed only four games to win its first-ever region 8A title. 

But a state championship is about bragging rights and being the top team in one of the toughest regions in the country – and Tallahassee had fallen short in its bid to be state champs in 2008 and 2011. 

Despite the wear and tear of playing three more games than Central Florida, and faced with playing its sixth game in a little more than 24 hours, the Eagles rode the wave of momentum to a quick 4-0 start after two innings. 

Pitcher Mariah Rivera and her defensive teammates did the rest. 

Rivera, who went 4-0 with one save in the tournament, pitched a complete-game four-hitter and was the beneficiary of two incredible defensive plays – both robbing the Patriots of home runs. 

Center fielder Taesha DuBoise made the first grab and then, in the sixth inning, with two runners on base, left fielder Te Reo Powhiri Matautia made a diving catch over the temporary left field fencing to rob Central Florida of another homer. 

Rivera lost the shutout bid in the seventh but an eventual ground out to shortstop Ashley Heath-Smith finished the victory and set off the Eagles' second jubilant celebration of the afternoon. 

Heath-Smith, who went 4-for-4 against Central Florida, hit safely in all eight tournament games and batted a team-high .536 (15-for-28). She and tournament Most Valuable Player Te Reo Powhiri Matautia led a quintet of Eagles named to the FCSAA All-Tournament Team. 

Matautia, batted .480 with three home runs and eight RBI over the eight games while also making numerous key plays in the field defensively. 

Rivera and fellow pitcher Ashley Dobson and first baseman Alexis Huss were also named All-Tournament. 

The five were also named to the FCSAA Gulf District All-Tournament team. 

Head coach Patti Townsend was named FCSAA Coach of the Year for the first time and picked up her third FCSAA Gulf District Coach of the Year award.