YUMA, Az.- The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers continued their dramatic run at the 2022 NJCAA National Tournament on Friday, hanging on to defeat #10 Chattanooga State 7-6 before coming from behind to stun #5 Odessa 5-4 in their second game of the day to punch their ticket to the National Championship game for the second consecutive season. 

 

Chattanooga got the scoring going right away, plating a 1^st inning run on a one out single to right to take a quick 1-0 lead.  

 

The Bucs responded right away in the bottom of the inning as Laura Vigna doubled to left to start the FSW 1^st and came around to score on a Chattanooga error to even the score at 1.  Later in the frame Pallas Potter laid down a bunt to bring Shenita Tucker home, giving the Bucs their first lead of the game at 2-1. 

 

The Bucs added another run in the 2^nd thanks to another Tiger defensive miscue, padding their lead to 3-1. 

 

FSW starter Belle Sardja settled in in the circle and worked a quick 1-2-3 top of the 3^rd and the Bucs kept the pressure on the Tigers, scoring for the third straight inning, this time on a Chattanooga wild pitch to make it 4-1. 

 

Sardja put up another zero in the 4^th thanks in part to a 6-3 lineout double play and the FSW offense opened things up with a three spot in the bottom of the inning as Charlotte Drijvers singled to left to drive home one run and Taylor Jensen doubled to the gap for two more to stretch the Bucs lead to 7-1.  

 

Just when it looked like the Bucs were going to have a drama free game, here came the Tigers.  Chattanooga took advantage of an FSW error to push across their first run in the 5^th and after the Bucs second blunder of the inning, the Tigers really made them pay, launching a three run home run out to left, getting back into the game with one swing at 7-6.  

 

Kylee Graham came out of the Bucs bullpen for the second straight day and was dialed in right away, getting a big strikeout and a pop out for the first two outs of the 6^th before Jensen helped her out behind the plate, erasing a would be base stealer at second with a perfect strike to keep it a 7-6 game in favor of the Bucs. 

 

The Bucs had a chance to get some insurance in the bottom of the 6th, putting runners on second and third with two outs, but a fly ball to left ended the threat and kept it a one run game as the teams went to the 7th. 

 

Graham took the ball again in the 7^th and didn't give the Tigers any hope for a comeback, cutting through the heart of the Chattanooga lineup, working a 1-2-3 frame with the final out coming on a ground ball to Feline Poot at short as the Bucs held on for a 7-6 win to remain alive in the tournament.  

 

The Bucs outhit the Tigers 10-6 in the win while the game was sloppy defensively with both teams recording four errors. Jensen finished 2-3 with a double and two RBIs for the Bucs while Drijvers was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored and McKenzie Wittenberg was also 2-3 with a run scored.  

 

Sardja earned the win in the circle to improve to 14-3 on the year, going four inning and yielding just two hits and one run while Graham earned her second save of the season by closing the game out with two perfect innings of relief. 

 

 

With the win the Bucs advanced to the elimination bracket final where they would get their chance for revenge against the only team to beat them in Yuma in the tournament, the #5 Odessa Wranglers. 

 

As was the case Thursday when the two teams played scoreless through five innings, runs were at a premium early on.  

 

Graham took the ball in the circle for just her sixth start of the season after closing out the Bucs Final Four win and punched out the side against the Wranglers in the 1^st to keep it scoreless through one inning of action. 

 

The Bucs cracked the scoreboard first without the benefit of a hit as Carys Platt walked to start the FSW 3^rd and moved to third on a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt from Sterre den Duijn before Vigna drove her in with a groundout to second to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead.  

 

Odessa got their first hit of the contest in the 4^th with a single up the middle and after loading the bases with one out, the Wranglers sent an 0-2 pitch sailing over the wall in right for a grand slam to turn the tide of the game in one swing, taking a 4-1 lead.  

 

The Bucs answered back right away in the top of the 5th, also loading the bases with one out, but they were only able to get one out of it on a sac fly from Poot and remained in a two run hole, 4-2 at the end of five. 

 

FSW continued to chip away in the 6^th as Wittenberg continued her red hot day with a line drive shot over the wall in right center to get the Bucs back to within one at 4-3. 

 

Graham went back out for the bottom of the 6^th and worked around a two out infield single with a pair of strikeouts to keep the Bucs within one at 4-3.  

 

After two quick outs in the FSW 7th, the Bucs were on the brink of seeing their season come to an end when Poot crushed a 3-1 pitch out to deep left, tying the game at 3 and reenergizing the FSW dugout. Caroline Figueroa worked a walk to put the go ahead run on base and Ava Worthy pinch ran for her and swiped second to put the winning run in scoring position. Wittenberg found the barrel again, ripping a double to left to drive home Worthy, putting the Bucs in front for the first time since the first inning, 4-3. 

 

An error started the Odessa 7^th and Bucs Head Coach Robert Iamurri went to Sardja out of the bullpen and she mowed the Wranglers down, getting a pair of groundouts and a pop out to right to strand the tying run on second and close out a 5-4 win for FSW.  

 

The game featured just 10 hits, six for FSW and four for Odessa.  Wittenberg finished 2-4 with a double, a homer, and two RBIs to lead the Bucs offense while Poot was 1-3 with a pair of RBIs.  Graham went a career high six innings to earn the win, allowing four hits and four runs while striking out a career high nine to improve to 9-0 on the year.  Sardja threw a scoreless 7^th to pick up her four save of the campaign.  

 

 

The Bucs win their third straight one run game to improve to 54-6 on the season while Odessa sees their season come to a close at 55-7.

 

FSW escapes the jaws of defeat for the second time in 24 hours when down to their last out, beating #2 Yavapai 10-9 late Thursday and then #5 Odessa 5-4 Friday.  

 

The Bucs advance to Championship Saturday for the second straight season and will look to defend their crown when they take on #7 McLennan at 3 PM (EDT) in Yuma.  If the Bucs are able to defeat the Highlanders in the first game, they will square off again at 6 PM in a winner take all National Championship game between the two.