DOTHAN, ALA.- Clutch hitting and solid pitching led the #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers to two more wins Saturday morning at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, pushing the Bucs to 13-0 on the year.
Bright an early with an 8 AM local start, the Bucs fell behind in their first game of the morning, conceding a first inning run to Snead State to face a 1-0 deficit before they got a chance to hit.
It remained a 1-0 game to the bottom of the third when FSW got on the board for the first time, using a leadoff single from Ali Yawn and a sacrifice fly from Lindsey Corbin later on in the inning to knot the score at 1-1.
FSW took their first lead of the contest in their next at bats as Shanika Klett walked to start the inning and stole second and third on consecutive pitches before scoring on a single from Natavia Ellis to give the Bucs a 2-1 advantage.
It stayed a 2-1 game into the sixth when the Bucs struck for some insurance, getting another sac fly, this one off the bat of Owen Bowers and then a pinch hit, bases clearing double from Haley Ellefson to open the lead to 6-1.
Ellefson's big blow took the wind out of the Lady Parsons' sails and Kelsi Collins finished Snead off in the seventh to preserve the 6-1 win for FSW.
Ellis and Ciara Ford each had two hits to lead the way for the Bucs while Ellefson's sixth inning double was the biggest swing of the day for FSW. Klett finished with an interesting line, officially going 0 for 0 with two runs scored and three stolen bases. Sarah Lawton shook off the first inning run to go 5 1/3 solid innings for the win in the circle while Collins earned her first save of the year with 1 2/3 scoreless for the Bucs to close things out.
It was a battle of Florida's Southwest and Northwest in the Bucs second game of the morning as they battled the Raiders of Northwest Florida State.
This time the Bucs wasted no time in getting going as Ellis and Madison Johnson rapped RBI singles and Alyssa LoSauro added another later in the first to give FSW an early 4-0 lead.
An RBI double from Klett in the second made it a 5-0 game and the Bucs blew the game wide open in the third as Yawn, Corbin, and Johnson each drove home runs to make it a 9-0 game.
Northwest got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Bucs notched one of their own in the fifth for insurance as they went on to take a 10-1 win in a five inning run rule.
The Bucs finished with 13 hits in the win, getting three hits and two RBI's from Corbin and three RBI's and a run scored from Johnson. FSW wreaked havoc for the Raiders on the bases, swiping eight bags in the game with seven different players accounting for the eight swipes. Collins earned her sixth win of the season, going four innings and striking out 10 before giving way to Sarah Clontz who closed out the victory with a scoreless fifth frame.
#3 FSW/NORTHWEST FLORIDA ST BOX SCORE
FSW continues their best start in program history at 13-0.
The Bucs will be back in action on Thursday when they travel across the state to Palm Beach State to take on the Panthers in a 5 PM doubleheader. They return home on Friday to take on the Japanese National Team in an open scrimmage at City of Palms Park at 4 PM.