BRADENTON, Fla.- The #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers extended their season long win streak to 20 games Tuesday night in Bradenton, hammering the State College of Florida Manatees 10-2 and 11-2 in a pair of run rule victories to remain unbeaten in Suncoast Conference play at 18-0. 

 

The Bucs played behind for a short time in game one of the doubleheader as the Manatees got a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 1^st to take an early 1-0 lead.  

 

Their deficit didn't last long though as they answered right back in the 2nd, getting a two run single from Laura Vigna and an RBI single behind that from Shenita Tucker to take a 4-1 lead. 

 

State College of Florida took advantage of an FSW error in the 2^nd to get a run back and make it a 4-2 game and that's the way it stayed to the 4^th when the Bucs put up another four spot on RBI singles from Tucker, Feline Poot, McKenzie Wittenberg, and Charlotte Drijvers to open up an 8-2 lead.  

 

The Manatees loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 4th, but FSW starter Baylee Haggard induced a pop up to get out of the jam and keep the Bucs ahead 8-2. 

 

The Bucs put the game on ice in the 5^th as Poot collected her fourth hit of the game, a two run double to left center to make it a 10-2 game before Samantha Smith came in and worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the 5^th to wrap up the 10-2 run rule win for FSW.  

 

The Bucs banged out 14 hits in the win with eight of nine starters collecting at least one knock.  Poot was a perfect 4-4, missing the cycle by just a home run while driving home three and scoring another run. Hours after being named the FCSAA Player of the Week, Tucker was 3-4 with two runs and two RBIs while Vigna was 2-3 and also drove home two and scored two in the win. Haggard went four innings allowing five hits and one earned run to improve to 21-1 in the circle on the season. 

 

 

In game two of the doubleheader it took the Bucs just seven pitches to get on the board as Vigna doubled to lead off the game and stole third before coming home on a groundout from Tucker to put FSW ahead 1-0.  

 

The Bucs were right back at it in the 2^nd as they loaded the bases with one out before Sterre den Duijn cleared the sacks with a double to left, putting FSW in front 4-0.  On the next pitch Vigna made it 5-0 with an RBI single and that's the way it stood at the end of two innings of action.  

 

FSW starter Kylee Graham worked a quick 1-2-3 3^rd for the Bucs to keep it a 5-0 game and the Purple and Aqua blew the game open in their next at bats.  

 

Den Duijn continued her big game with a solo home run to begin the FSW 4^th to make it 6-0. Later in the inning a line drive single up the middle from Caroline Figueroa made it an 8-0 game and they didn't stop there as three straight RBI singles from Pallas Potter, Carys Platt, and den Duijn blew the game open to 11-0. 

 

State College of Florida got a run in the bottom of the 4^th to break up the shutout and added another in the 5th, but they couldn't push anything else across in their final at bats and with that the run rule kicked in with the Bucs taking game two 11-2. 

 

The Bucs had 14 hits for the second straight game, this time led by den Duijn who finished 3-3 with five RBIs and missed hitting for the cycle by just a triple.  Five other Bucs finished with multiple hits as Vigna was 2-2 with two runs scored and an RBI, Tucker was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Drijvers, Potter, and Platt were each 2-3. Graham went four innings and allowed just one hit to earn the win and improve to 7-0 in the circle. 

 

 

With the wins the Bucs have now won 20 straight games, improving to 43-4 overall and a perfect 18-0 in Suncoast Conference play.  State College of Florida falls to 25-23 and 6-11 in conference action where they have officially been eliminated from postseason contention with the losses. 

 

FSW returns home on Saturday for the final Softball games in the history of City of Palms Park when they host Polk State at 1:00 & 3:00 to close out their home slate.  Prior to the first game of the doubleheader the Bucs will recognize their nine sophomores playing their final home games of their outstanding FSW careers.