Posted: Jan 31, 2020
FORT MYERS, Fla.- A season ago, the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers had to get creative in scoring their runs. The Bucs led the state in walks, hit batters, and stolen bases in 2019, but early on in 2020, it doesn't look like runs will come at such a premium for them. Friday night #20 FSW pounded out 13 hits and got four solid innings of work out of their bullpen to push past ASA-Miami 7-3 in their opening game of the Marissa Gusto Memorial Tournament to even up their early season record at 1-1.
In his much anticipated first start of the season, FSW's Marc Davis, who drew a crowd of over 20 Major League Baseball scouts for the occasion, worked a quick 1-2-3 top half of the first inning to give the Bucs a chance to strike first.
Strike first they did, scoring their first run of the night on a sharply hit ball that was mishandled by the ASA infield and then Tyler Fote singled home another to make it 2-0 FSW after one.
Davis gave his infield some work in the second, getting a ground ball each to second, short, and third to retire the side in order and then struck out the side in the third to keep it a 2-0 game.
The Bucs added to their lead in the fourth when Jose Marcano unloaded on FSW's first home run of the season over the wall in left to make it a 3-0 contest.
The Silver Storm finally broke through against Davis in the fifth, plating a pair of two out runs on three hits to cut the Bucs lead to one at 3-2 midway through.
Daniel Vos made his FSW debut out of the bullpen in relief of Davis in the sixth and used the fortune of some good defense behind him to work a scoreless frame.
ASA Miami put their leadoff man on in the eighth and instead of bunting the runner into scoring position in the one run game, they tried a butcher boy play with their second batter and it played right into the Bucs' hands as the ball was rolled perfectly to Warnner Rincones who turned a 6-3 double play himself to get FSW out of trouble.
The play turned the tide of the momentum as FSW got a bases loaded two run double from Matthew Corpas to extend the lead to 5-2 and then a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tommy Joseph for another run and the final blow, a two out, RBI double from Jared Campbell to all but put the game away with the Bucs leading 7-2 heading into the ninth.
Despite the four run lead, the ninth didn't come without drama for the Bucs. A walk, a hit batter, and another free pass loaded the bases with nobody out and without a ball touching an ASA bat. A sac fly brought one run in and after a strikeout, the third walk of the inning reloaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate. After working deep into another count, Alan Mercado came out on top, picking up his second strikeout of the inning to close out the frame and the game to give the Bucs a 7-3 win.
The Bucs outhit the Silver Storm 13-7 in the win getting two hit games from Drake Dobyanski, Cameran Brantley, Campbell, and Corpas, who also drove in two on the afternoon. Davis earned his first win of the year, going 5 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 4 on 63 pitches. Vos threw two scoreless frames for the hold and Mercado nailed down his first career save with two hitless innings to finish things out.
FSW improves to 1-1 with the win while ASA falls to 1-4.
The Bucs are back in action on Saturday in a marquee matchup with #5 Chipola beginning at 1 PM.
