FORT MYERS, FLA.- After never having defeated a ranked opponent in the first three years of the program's existence, the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers earned their fourth win over a top 12 opponent in the first 14 games of the 2019 season on Saturday, splitting a pair of one run contests with #12 Santa Fe to move to 12-2 on the year.
Santa Fe got the scoring going early on in game one of the doubleheader as they strung together three straight hits in the top half of the first to score a run and added another later in the frame to take an early 2-0 lead.
Three more singles for the Saints in the second netted them another run to make it a 3-0 ballgame.
FSW got on the board for the first time in the bottom of the second as Tommy Joseph reached on an error to begin the frame and later came around on an RBI single from Shamir Morales to cut the Saints lead to 3-1.
Joey Mugavero gave the Bucs a chance on the mound, tossing 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth, but FSW couldn't get anything going offensively and it remained a 3-1 game into the sixth inning of the seven inning contest.
Santa Fe added an insurance run in the sixth that came in handy later in the game.
Connor Bagnieski and Nathan Kinsch put together back to back hits to begin the Bucs sixth and both moved up on a deep fly ball to put two in scoring position with just one out. Bagnieski scored on a wild pitch to make it a 4-2 game and Kinsch scored on a groundout from Joseph to draw the Bucs to within one at 4-3.
For the second straight game, the Bucs made some noise in their final at bats as they put two on with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh, but after a failed bunt attempt, FSW lined into their second double play of the game to all but end the threat and a weak ground ball brought the game to a close with Santa Fe hanging on to win 4-3.
The Saints outhit the Bucs 11-6 in the game, but committed a pair of errors, one leading to an unearned run for FSW. Six different Bucs had the six hits with Joseph and Morales picking up the RBI's for FSW. Jesse Ferreira was saddled with the loss, allowing two runs in a one inning start. Marc Davis gave the Bucs 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief while striking out two.
FSW/#12 SANTA FE GAME ONE BOX SCORE
After a pair of scoreless innings to begin game two of the doubleheader, the offenses for both sides exploded in the third. Santa Fe pounded out three straight hits to begin their half of the frame, plating a pair of runs to take a 2-0 lead. They weren't done there though, taking advantage of a Buccaneer error to score another run on a safety squeeze and then got a pair of two out RBI singles to open up a 6-0 lead after 2 ½ innings of play.
The Bucs answered back in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases on three walks and then getting a bases clearing double from Kinsch to cut the Saints lead in half at 6-3. Bagnieski followed Kinsch's double with an RBI single to score him and just like that it was a 6-4 ballgame.
With two outs and nobody on in the Santa Fe fourth, the Saints went to the long ball to add to their lead, getting back to back home runs from Jarrod Cande and Brock Edge to push their lead back to four at 8-4.
FSW continued to fight though and after a one out single, Thomas Bennett launched his first home run of the season over the wall in left center to cut the Saints lead back in half again as he made it an 8-6 contest. Later in the inning Nate Madej ripped a pinch hit double down the right field line and after advancing to third on a throwing error, he scored on an RBI groundout from Tyler Solomon to make it a one run game at 8-7.
Robert Weigielnik entered from the Bucs bullpen and induced a tailor made 6-4-3 double play to end the top half of the fifth to give FSW a chance to tie the game in the bottom half.
Tie the game they did as Jose Marcano destroyed a pitch down the left field line and just kept it fair for a solo shot to knot the score at 8-8.
Weigielnik got another double play to shorten the Santa Fe sixth, this time of the 5-4-3 variety to keep the score tied going to the bottom half of the inning.
A pair of walks put the Bucs in business in the sixth and with FSW down to their final strike of the frame, Mikey Burke slapped a ball on the ground and legged it out for an RBI infield single to give the Purple and Aqua their first lead of the game at 9-8.
Santa Fe made some noise in their final at bats in the top of the seventh, but FSW closer Thomas Haggerty came in and picked up a pair of strikeouts, including one to strand the tying run 90 feet away to seal the 9-8 win for the Bucs.
Again Santa Fe outhit FSW 12-7, but the Bucs used a pair of Saints errors to score two unearned runs in the win. For the second straight game, FSW's seven hits were spread out over seven different hitters with Bennett and Kinsch doing the heavy lifting with a combined five RBI's for the Bucs. Weigielnik earned his first collegiate win with two scoreless innings of work while Haggerty nailed down his second save of the year with a scoreless seventh.
FSW/#12 SANTA FE GAME TWO BOX SCORE
FSW moves to 12-2 at weekend's end with the split while Santa Fe goes to 14-3 on the year.
After four games in three days, the Bucs will have three days off before taking the field again on Wednesday when they will battle Pasco-Hernando in a 6 PM start at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers.