TAMPA, Fla.- On the heels of their first three game losing streak in nearly two months, the #15 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers took their frustrations out on the Hillsborough Hawks on Monday, hammering the Hawks 12-1 in a seven inning run rule to get back on track and hold their lead atop the Suncoast Conference standings with three series to go.  

 

The Bucs wasted little time taking control on Monday as Warnner Rincones walked to lead off the game and wasn't on the sacks long as Christian Lucio launched a two run bomb to right to not only give FSW a 2-0 lead in the game, but also to set a new Bucs record with his 10th career home run.  

 

Enrique Cotto kept the Hawks off the board until the 3rd when they finally broke through for a two out run to cut the FSW lead in half at 2-1.  

 

The Bucs got the run back right away in the 4th as Kendry Noriega doubled home Jared Campbell who led off the inning with a single to make it 3-1.  They were far from done. Noriega scored later in the inning on a wild pitch and the Bucs loaded the bases back up on a pair of walks and a hit batter. On a 2-2 pitch with one out in the inning, Matthew Corpas lined his 8th home run of the season over the wall in left for a grand slam to put the Bucs up 8-1.  They reloaded the bases on three more free passes from Hawk pitching and Noriega picked up his second RBI of the inning on an infield single to make it 9-1 after four. 

 

FSW continued to pour it on in the 5th as Ronny Medina left the yard to left to make it 11-1 and then ripped an RBI double in the 6th to push the Bucs lead to 12-1. 

 

Cotto did the rest, working a 1-2-3 bottom of the 6th and pitched around a one out walk in the 7th to close the Hawks out in a 12-1 run rule win in seven for FSW.  

 

The Bucs outhit the Hawks 9-5 in the win and took advantage of 14 free passes on the afternoon.  Medina finished 2-3 with a double, a home run, and three RBIs while Noriega also picked up a pair of hits and drove in two.  Corpas and Lucio combined for six RBIs in the middle of the order for the Bucs and reached base three times each in the contest. Cotto improved to 5-1 on the year on the mound, going the distance and allowing just five hits and one run while punching out eight.  

 

FSW snaps a mini three game losing streak to improve to 34-13 overall and 15-6 in Suncoast Conference action with the win while Hillsborough falls to 15-22 overall and 7-14 in league play.  

 

The Bucs begin a three game series with South Florida State on Wednesday at City of Palms Park in a game set for a 3 PM first pitch in Downtown Fort Myers.