Jahir Perez (Photo by Linwood Ferguson/CaptivePhotons.com)
Posted: Apr 28, 2023
Fort Myers, Fla.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers took care of business in their regular season finale Friday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers, dispatching of the visiting A3 Academy Trojans by a count of 6-3 to close the regular season at 31-20.
The Bucs took the lead early and never looked back as Anthony Westbrook doubled with one out in the bottom of the 1st and scored when Derek Williams crushed one out of the park to dead center to give FSW a 2-0 lead.
Tyler Kennedy struck out the side in the 2nd to keep the Bucs in front and Kelan Hoover gave FSW two more scoreless frames out of the bullpen to keep it a 2-0 game at the end of four complete.
The Bucs added to their lead in the 5th as Yariel Diaz hit his first career home run out to left to make it a 3-0 game.
A3 got back into the game in the top of the 6th with a pair of runs to make it a 3-2 game, but FSW answered right back in the bottom of the frame, scoring three times, including twice on a bloop single from Aries Samek to up the lead to 6-2.
Reyn Watson fired a scoreless 7th and Zach Locke worked a 1-2-3 top of the 8th to keep it a 6-2 game to the 9th.
A defensive miscue for the Bucs in the 9th cost them a run, but Lucas Hartman finished the Trojans off from there closing out a 6-3 win for FSW in their regular season finale.
The Bucs finished with six hits, getting a pair from Sergio Rivera at the top of the order while Williams and Samek each drove in a pair. Kennedy earned his fourth win of the season, going two scoreless frames to improve to 4-4 on the year, striking out five and allowing just one Trojan hit.
FSW heads to the playoffs with a 31-20 record while A3 closes their barnstorming tour 3-8.
Next up for the Bucs is a date with #1 Central Florida as FSW heads to Ocala next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for a best two out of three with the defending state champs to kick off the FCSAA State Tournament.