FORT MYERS, Fla.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers got a huge Southern Conference win Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers, using six scoreless innings out of the bullpen from Lucas Hartman and an 8^th inning grand slam from Derek Williams to come back from 7-4 down for a 9-7 win to snap a three game losing streak and get back to within one game of the conference lead with six games left to go. 

 

The game got off to a wild start as an FSW error in the 1^st allowed the Sharks to score a pair of runs to take an early 2-0 lead. 

 

AJ Shaver began the bottom of the 1^st with a solo home run on the first pitch of the inning to cut the Sharks lead in half at 2-1 and the Bucs didn't stop there, tying the game on an RBI single from Aries Samek and using their speed on the bases for a double steal to add another and make it a 3-2 game at the end of an exciting 1st.  

 

Miami Dade answered right back, tying the game on a leadoff double and an RBI groundout and then taking the lead back on a two run home run to left to make it 5-3. 

 

Two FSW errors on one play in the 3^rd allowed Miami Dade to tack on two more unearned runs to stretch their lead to 7-3 at the end of three. 

 

Shaver cranked out his second home run of the game and his program record 14^th of the season with two outs in the 4^th to draw the Bucs back to within three at 7-4 at the end of four complete. 

 

FSW reliever Lucas Hartman worked out of jams in the 5^th and 6^th before striking out a pair in a scoreless 7^th to send the game to stretch time with the score still 7-4. 

 

The Bucs had a chance to get back into things in the bottom of the 7^th as they put two runners on with nobody out, but a double play ball followed by another groundout ended the threat and kept it a 7-4 game as the teams went to the 8th. 

 

Hartman worked around a pair of hits and a walk in a scoreless 8^th to give the Bucs another chance to get even and this time they did. 

 

A pair of walks to begin the FSW 8^th put two runners on with nobody out for the second straight inning but this time they were able to move up on another free pass to load the bases with one out in the frame. On the first pitch Derek Williams saw from reliever Miguel Gonzalez, the sophomore slugger let loose, crushing a ball out to dead center for a grand slam, setting a new program single season record with 57 RBIs and tying Shaver for the program record with his 14^th home run of the season while giving the Bucs a 9-7 lead. 

 

With his tank just about on empty, Hartman went back out for the 9^th and didn't disappoint, recording strikeouts numbers eight and nine before getting a pop up to center to end things and give FSW a 9-7 win. 

 

The top seven hitters in the Bucs order all had hits in the win with Shaver and Williams combining for three home runs and six RBIs to lead the way in the victory. Hartman was outstanding out of the Bucs bullpen, going six shutout innings, striking out a career high nine to earn the win and improve to 5-0 on the year. 

 

The win is a key one for FSW as it halts a three game losing streak while pushing the Bucs to 27-16 overall and 9-6 in Southern Conference play, just one game off the pace of the Sharks who are now 26-12-1 and 10-5 in league play. 

 

FSW is back in action at home on Wednesday when they begin a key three game set with Eastern Florida State with first pitch set for 2 PM at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers.