Posted: Apr 14, 2024
FORT MYERS, Fla.- With the calendar just two weeks away from flipping to May, the #4 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers are getting hot at the right time as they swept the #14 Santa Fe Saints 6-2 and 8-1 Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers to give them 15 wins in their past 16 games and to push them to 45-5 on the season.
The Bucs jumped all over the Saints early in game one, getting a bases loaded walk to Virginia Mambelli and an RBI single from Emily Allegood to quickly put them ahead 2-0 before Maddy Golka spun a double into center field to bring home three more and make it 5-0 FSW at the end of one.
Santa Fe pushed their first run across with a two out infield single in the 3rd to make it 5-1 but the Bucs got the run back in the bottom of the 4th when Sydney McCray lifted a sacrifice fly to left to drive home Golka from third and push the Bucs lead back to five at 6-1 at the end of four.
It was 6-2 FSW in the 7th when three straight walks loaded the bases for the Saints and brought the tying run to the plate before Bucs ace Lea Chevrier came in out of the bullpen and sat down all three hitters she faced to end the threat and the game as FSW took game one 6-2.
The Bucs only managed four hits in the win with the big blow coming off Golka's bat who finished 1-2 with three RBIs and a run scored, accounting for four of the Bucs six runs in the contest. Esmee Ames earned the win in the circle, going six strong innings, scattering six hits and two runs to improve to 16-4 on the year. Chevrier earned her first save of the season with a scoreless 7th.
After a clean defensive game by both teams in game one, the 1st inning of game two was an ugly one for purists as the Bucs booted a ball in the top half of the inning and Santa Fe made three errors in the bottom half of the inning to allow FSW to score a pair of unearned runs to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Bucs worked around two more errors in the top of the 2nd , but the Saints couldn't do the same in the bottom half as FSW got their third unearned run of the game after a Santa Fe throwing error and a wild pitch to put the Bucs up 3-0.
FSW starter Emily Allegood worked out of trouble in the 3rd to keep it a 3-0 game and the Bucs doubled their lead in the bottom half of the inning as Skylar Brennan began the frame with a double to the gap in right center and Allegood drove her in with a triple off the wall before scoring herself on an RBI single from Nicole Edmiaston to make it 5-0 before Ella Moore knocked in the Bucs third run of the inning later on to stretch the lead to 6-0 at the end of three.
Santa Fe had a chance to get back into the game in the 4th as they loaded the bases with one out, but a nifty defensive play from D'Yani McKinley started a double play for the Bucs to get out of the jam and keep the shutout intact with FSW leading it 6-0 midway through.
Bucs reliever Leah Meyer worked a quick 1-2-3 top of the 5th with two strikeouts for FSW to keep it a 6-0 game and the Bucs put the game to bed in the bottom half of the inning as Sietske Drijvers drilled a two run double to right center to bring home a pair and kick in the run rule with FSW taking game two by a score of 8-0.
After being limited to just four hits in game one, the Bucs broke out with 11 in the game two win. Brennan and Allegood each finished 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI while McKinley was 2-3 with two runs scored and three stolen bases at the top of the order. Allegood also picked up the win in the circle, going 3 1/3 scoreless to improve to 5-0 on the year before giving the ball to Meyer to tossed an inning and 2/3 to preserve the shutout.
FSW wraps up a busy week a perfect 6-0 including four straight wins over Top 15 ranked opponents as they improve to 45-5 overall and 32-4 in Citrus Conference play on the season. Santa Fe falls to 31-16 overall and 22-10 in league play.
The Bucs will be right back at it on Tuesday when they make the trip up I-75 to take on Hillsborough in Tampa in a doubleheader under the lights beginning at 5 PM.