Posted: Feb 15, 2024
CLEARWATER, Fla.- The #16 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers went the distance and then some Thursday night in their 2024 Citrus Conference opener in Clearwater, forcing extra innings late before winning it 8-5 over St. Petersburg thanks in part to a late strike to the plate from center fielder Justin Thomas to extend the game and a two run double from Nik Pereira in the 11th to win it for the Purple and Aqua.
Both teams had traffic early but were unable to come through with the big hit until Justin Thomas tripled home John Long in the 3rd for FSW to give the Bucs the first lead of the game at 1-0.
St. Pete came out swinging in the bottom of the 3rd as they strung together five hits, scoring four runs to erase the Bucs lead and then some as they took a 4-1 advantage after three innings of play.
Bucs lefty Alex Walsh locked in from there, striking out the side in the 4th to keep it a 4-1 game and the FSW offense rewarded him with a pair of runs in the 6th to make it a one run game 4-3.
It remained a 4-3 game through the 7th before the Bucs loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the 8th and found a way to push a pair of runs home to tie the score and then go ahead 5-4 after 7 1/2.
A leadoff double followed by a dropped third strike by the Bucs in the bottom of the 8th put the Titans in business and St. Pete cashed in a run on a safety squeeze to tie the score at 5.
The Bucs went down in order in the top of the 9th and St. Pete looked primed for the walk off as they loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, but FSW reliever Brandon Gonsalves worked himself out of the mess with a strikeout to end the threat and send the game to extras deadlocked at 5.
St. Pete looked like they had dialed up the walk off in the bottom of the 10th as they got a one out walk and a stolen base to put a runner in scoring position ahead of a single back up the middle, but Justin Thomas gunned down the game winning run with a dart to the plate to keep the game tied at 5 and send it to the 11th.
After two quick outs via strikeout in the 11th, Victor Figueroa drew what at the time seemed like an unassuming walk and then moved up 90 feet on a walk to Luca Danos. With two outs and the game on the line, Nik Pereira stepped up to the plate and drilled a double down the left field line plating both runs and putting the Bucs in front 7-5. An RBI single from Nate Earley allowed Pereira to come home for some insurance, but the Bucs wouldn't need it as Gonsalves mowed through the Titan order 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th to close it out and give FSW an 8-5 win.
The Bucs outhit the Titans 13-10 in the win with Salvador Alvarez leading the way with a four hit night and Pereira finishing 2-6 with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Landen Burch and Gonsalves provided six solid innings of relief out of the FSW bullpen with Gonsalves picking up the win with 2 1/3 scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts.
The Bucs and Titans will wrap up the series on Saturday at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers with a Citrus Conference doubleheader set to begin at noon.