MELBOURNE, Fla.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers couldn't overcome a seven run 7^th inning by the Eastern Florida State Titans Wednesday night at Bruce Bochy Field in Melbourne as the Titans took the series opener between the two 9-5 to tighten up the Southern Conference standings at the 1/3 mark of the league schedule.  

 

Eastern struck right away, pushing a 1^st inning run across on a one out single, a stolen base, and an FSW error to take an early 1-0 lead.  

 

The Titans threatened again in the 2nd, loading the bases on three FSW walks before a line out to AJ Shaver in right field ended the threat and kept it a 1-0 game.  

 

The Bucs leveled the score in the 4^th as Derek Williams lifted off on his ninth home run of the season deep and out to center to get FSW even at 1-1. 

 

The Bucs had a chance to take the lead in the 5^th as back to back one out singles put a man in scoring position, but a groundout and a fly out ended the threat and kept it a 1-1 game.  

 

Eastern took over in the 6^th with three straight singles to load the bases with nobody out before a pair of singles and a passed ball allowed four runs to come home to make it 5-1. They weren't done yet though as another passed ball make it 6-1 and a two out single back up the middle plated two more to make it 8-1 at the end of six. 

 

A two run home run from Albert Serrano in the 7^th got FSW back into it at 8-3 at stretch time, but Eastern got one back in the bottom half to make their lead five once again at 9-3.  

 

Williams singled home a run in the 8^th to make it 9-4 and Aries Samek legged out an infield hit in the 9^th to make it 9-5, but the game ended with the tying run in the on deck circle as the Bucs fell 9-5 in the series opener. 

 

The Titans outhit the Bucs 12-9 in the game while FSW pitching issued nine free passes, seven walks and two hit batters. Serrano finished 3-4 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs while Williams homered and drove home two of his own in the loss. For the first time in a month, the Bucs bullpen was hit hard, allowing eight runs, all earned, in 3 2/3 innings of work.  Yeoshua Garcia was collared with the loss, allowing five runs and five hits in just one inning, falling to 0-2 on the year.  

 

FSW drops to 21-12 overall and 4-3 in Southern Conference play with the defeat while Eastern Florida improves to 17-15 overall and 4-5 in league play. 

 

The Bucs and Titans will go back at it Friday and Saturday at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 Friday and the series finale at noon on Saturday.