Posted: Jan 27, 2024
CLEARWATER, Fla.- The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers began defense of their 2023 NJCAA National Championship with a pair of wins on Opening Day of the 2024 season, blowing past Georgia Military 10-0 in a five inning run rule before squeaking by St. Johns River 6-4 in their second game of the day to begin the season 2-0.
In their first game of the season the Bucs squared off against Georgia Military in a rematch of their opening game of the 2022 NJCAA National Tournament.
It was a scoreless game through two innings of play when the Bucs got the scoring going as Skylar Brennan drove home a run with a groundout before Nicole Edmiaston pulled one through the right side to plate another to make it 2-0 FSW after 2 1/2.
The Bucs defense turned a double play to help starter Lea Chevrier get through three unscathed and the FSW offense put up a four spot in the top of the 4th, highlighted by a two run bomb to center from Sietske Drijvers to make it 6-0 Buccaneers.
FSW put the game away in the 5th as pinch hitter Emily Allegood ripped a two run triple to left to make it 9-0 and she scored on an RBI groundout from Sydney McCray to make it a 10-0 game.
Esmee Ames came out of the FSW bullpen in the 5th and made it look easy, blowing through the Bulldogs lineup with three straight strikeouts to close it out and seal up the 10-0 run rule win for the Bucs.
The Bucs outhit the Bulldogs 11-2 in the win as Jenna Teakert went 3-3 in her FSW debut while McCray had two hits and two RBIs for the defending champs. In the circle sophomores Lea Chevrier and Esmee Ames combined for a two hit shutout as Chevrier went four innings to earn the win while Ames struck out the side in the 5th to finish things off.
The Bucs had a little bit more of a fight on their hands in their second game of the day as they took on FCSAA Division II member St. Johns River.
It didn't take long for FSW to get on the board in game two as McCray singled to start the game and came around to score on the next pitch as D'Yani McKinley legged out a bunt single and the Vikings threw it away to put the Bucs up 1-0. Two batters later Skylar Brennan drove in McKinley with a groundout to put FSW up 2-0 after a half inning of play.
St. Johns River answered with a two out run in the bottom of the 1st and scored two more in the 3rd to take their first lead of the game at 3-2.
The Bucs responded in the top of the 4th , plating the equalizer on a wild pitch and going back in front on an RBI single from McCray to make it 4-3.
FSW reliever Esmee Ames kept the Vikings in check from there, holding the one run lead through the 6th when the Bucs tacked on a pair of insurance runs on RBI knocks from Teakert and Paige Lassiter to make it 6-3.
The Vikings made things interesting in the 7th as they pushed a run across and brought the tying run to the on deck circle, but Ames would have none of it, retiring the final three hitters she faced to close out a 6-4 win for FSW.
The Bucs banged out 10 hits in the win led by Allegood and Lassiter who had three hits and a run scored each. Ames earned the win out of the Buccaneers bullpen, going the final five innings and allowing just three hits and one run while striking out four to move to 1-0 on the year in the circle.
The Bucs start 2-0 for the seventh time in the past eight seasons.
FSW will make their home debut on Thursday when they host New College of Florida at 1 PM at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers. It will serve as the first game in program history for the visiting Mighty Banyans.