FORT MYERS, FLA.- Three Florida SouthWestern hurlers combined on a three hit shutout Thursday night at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, giving the Buccaneers a rare 1-0 win over Miami Dade to remain unbeaten in the early going of 2019.
Rafael Santos started the game on the mound for the Bucs and gave them four solid innings of shutout baseball, allowing just a lone single to the Sharks while striking out a pair to give FSW a chance to score first in the intrastate rivalry contest.
It took them a while, but the Bucs did just that in the bottom of the fourth inning as Tommy Joseph singled to start the frame and came around to score when Nate Kinsch came up with a clutch two out knock through the box to put FSW up 1-0.
Santos exited with the lead and gave way to relief ace Ryan Gusto who looked to impress the nearly 25 major league scouts in attendance at the park. He did just that, retiring nine straight around a pair of singles from the fifth to the eighth innings, keeping the Bucs shutout intact and FSW in the lead 1-0.
FSW couldn't push across any insurance runs late in the contest, but they didn't need it at closer Thomas Haggerty came out of the bullpen in the ninth and worked a masterful frame, throwing 9 strikes in 11 pitches to punch out two and retire the Sharks in order to seal the 1-0 win for the Bucs.
The game breezed past in just 2 hours and 28 minutes as the Bucs were limited to just five hits and their pitching staff held a high powered Shark attack to just three hits, all singles on the night.
Kinsch finished a perfect 3 for 3 with the lone run scoring hit in the game, also stealing a pair of bases for good measure. Gusto went four innings on the mound to earn the win, allowing just two hits while striking out four before giving way to Haggerty who locked up his first save as a Buc with the 1-2-3 ninth.
FSW improves to 4-0 on the year, marking the programs best season start in its brief history. After defeating #1 Chipola in their opener, Miami Dade drops their first game of the year to fall to 3-1.
The Bucs will face their stiffest test of the season this weekend as they travel up to the panhandle where they will take on #2 Walters State on Friday and Saturday before battling #1 Chipola in a doubleheader on Sunday in Marianna.