WINTER HAVEN, Fla.- Hunter Fitz-Gerald homered three times and drove in seven as the #15 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers rolled past the Polk State Eagles 15-5 in their 2022 Suncoast Conference opener on Saturday in Winter Haven. 

 

The Bucs struck early Saturday as they loaded the bases with one out before Paxton Tomaini drew the first of his four walks in the game to force home a run and put FSW in front 1-0 in the 2^nd inning. A two out, two run double from Kendry Noriega extended the lead to 3-0 and three pitches later Hunter Fitz-Gerald launched a ball out to right for a three run shot to stretch the Bucs lead to 6-0. 

 

Polk used a walk and three hits to get two back in the 3rd, cutting the Bucs lead to 6-2. 

 

Fitz-Gerald led off the FSW 5^th with a great at bat, fouling off five pitches to work the count full before crushing his second homer of the game out to center to make it 7-2. 

 

One inning later, it was more of the same as Fitz-Gerald unloaded on a 1-1 pitch to right for his third bomb of the day, this one a three run shot to stretch the Bucs lead to 10-3. 

 

A two out, two run double from Matthew Corpas in the 7^th made it a 12-3 game at stretch time and Noriega hammered a three run shot for good measure in the 9^th to finish off a 15-5 win for FSW. 

 

Fitz-Gerald becomes the first FSW player in program history to homer three times in a game as he finished 3-5 with seven RBIs to lead the way for the Bucs in the win.  Noriega had a huge game for himself as well, going 3-6 with a double, a home run, and five RBIs at the top of the FSW order. 

 

Brian Holiday struck out eight in three innings of relief to earn his third win of the season on the mound while Ben Petschke notched his second save of the year with three shutout frames to close things out.  

 

The Bucs improve to 12-9 with the win while Polk falls to 12-8.  

 

The two will lock up again Monday at 2 PM at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers for game two of the series.