DOTHAN, Ala.- The #2 Florida SouthWestern State Softball team rebounded from their first loss of the season in a major way on Saturday, defeating #19 Southern Idaho 7-5 and #14 Chattanooga State 9-0 to wrap up their stay at the 2020 Visit Dothan Invitational Tournament.  

 

Things got off to a rather inauspicious start for the Buccaneers as Southern Idaho plated two in the top half of the 1st to take a 2-0 lead before FSW even got a crack at the plate.  

 

The Bucs answered quickly though as Rebeca Laudino scored on a CSI error and Charlotte Drijvers drove home two more with a single later in the inning to give FSW a 3-2 lead after one.  

 

FSW added to their lead in the 2nd on an RBI groundout from Pallas Potter to make it 4-2, but the Golden Eagles answered back in their next trip to the plate to cut it back to a one run game once again at 4-3.  

 

The back and forth continued in the bottom of the 3rd as the Bucs squeezed a run home to push their lead to 5-3 and Lindsey Corbin singled to left to bring home another run to make it 6-3. The Bucs got their third run of the inning one batter later when Laudino legged out an RBI single to give FSW a 7-3 lead and some breathing room after three.  

 

Haley Ellefson kept the Eagles quiet out of the Bucs bullpen through the middle innings as it remained a 7-3 game to the 7th.  

 

CSI threatened in their final at bats in the 7th, getting a solo home run and a Bucs error to let another run home to make it 7-5, but Ellefson finished them off from there, getting a groundout to end the threat and the game with the Bucs winning it 7-5.  

 

Laudino led the Bucs at the top of the order, going a perfect 3-3 with a stolen base, a run scored, and an RBI in the win. Drijvers went 1-3 with 3 big RBIs for FSW.  Ellefson earned the win out of the bullpen, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing 6 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 3 to improve to 3-1 on the year.  

 

 

The Bucs wasted no time in jumping ahead in their second game of the day as they took on #14 Chattanooga State.  As she did in the first game, Laudino started the FSW 1st with a base hit and later scored to give the Bucs a quick 1-0 lead. 

 

They extended upon their lead in the 2nd as Pallas Potter doubled to begin the frame and came around to score on an RBI single from Kayla Domon to make it 2-0.  They weren't done yet as Laudino drove in two more on a bullet to left  and Corbin did the same to make it 6-0 Buccaneers after an inning and half.  

 

The 3rd began exactly as the 2nd did with Potter doubling and then scoring on a single from Domon to make it 7-0 FSW.  

 

Sarah Clontz kept it right there, putting up a goose egg in the bottom of the 3rd to keep it a 7-0 game.  

 

Feline Poot blasted a solo home run in the 4th to stretch the lead to 8-0 and Shanika Klett lined a single to left in the 5th to score Domon, who tripled to start the inning, to blow the lead open to 9-0.  

 

Clontz did the rest, striking out a pair to finish off the Tigers in the bottom of the 5th to kick in the run rule with the Bucs winning it 9-0.  

 

The Bucs outhit the Tigers 14-3 in the game with 10 different players picking up hits in the contest. Domon went 3-3 while Laudino was 2-3 and both scored twice and drove in two runs.  Clontz twirled a three hit shutout to improve to 2-0 on the year.  She struck out 4 and walked 2 in the win. 

 

 

FSW improves to 6-1 on the year with the two game sweep.  

 

The Bucs are back in action on Tuesday when they travel across Alligator Alley to take on Miami Dade in a 1 PM doubleheader in Kendall.