Posted: Mar 03, 2023
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers jumped out to a 9-1 lead after three innings of play and never looked back Friday afternoon at Buccaneers Park, hammering out 17 hits in a 13-6 win over former Suncoast Conference rival Polk State to improve to 13-8 on the year.
With the wind blowing out, the Eagles wasted no time in jumping on the board first as a solo home run in the top of the 1st gave the visitors a quick 1-0 advantage.
FSW quickly leveled things on a leadoff double from Sergio Rivera and a groundout from Joel Gardner to make it 1-1, but the Bucs kept going in the bottom of the 1st as Austin Douglas and Anthony Westbrook picked up RBI singles and Eddie-Boe Rodriguez banged a two run double off the wall in right center to give the Bucs a 5-1 lead after one.
The Bucs added to their lead in the 3rd as Polk threw a bunt away to allow FSW to score a pair before Westbrook picked up his second RBI single in three frames and AJ Shaver singled through the left side to put the Purple and Aqua in front 9-1 at the end of three complete.
Polk got a run back in the 4th and then three in the 5th on a misplayed fly ball to get back in the game at 9-5.
The Bucs responded immediately though, putting the game out of reach once again as Rivera singled through the left side to plate one and Gardner banged a ground rule double out to right center to score two more to make it 13-5.
Polk tallied a run in the 8th but it was too little too late as Isaac Upole worked a scoreless 9th to close it out as the Bucs won it going away 13-6.
The Bucs banged out 17 hits in the win led by Westbrook who was a perfect 4-4 with a pair of RBIs in the victory. Rivera had three hits at the top of the lineup while Shaver, Douglas, and Aries Samek each had two. Kelan Hoover earned his second win of the season on the mound, going five innings and allowing four hits and five runs while striking out three. Yehoshua Garcia threw three solid innings of relief, allowing just two hits and one run behind Hoover.
The Bucs defeat the Eagles for the third time this season, improving to 13-8 on the year while Polk falls to 12-11.
FSW is back in action at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers on Saturday when they host Seminole State for doubleheader action beginning at noon.