TAMPA, Fla.- Three relievers combined to throw 6 2/3 scoreless innings to allow the #8 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers to erase a 5-1 deficit and come from behind for a 7-5 win against the Hillsborough Hawks Wednesday afternoon in Tampa. 

 

The Bucs fell behind right away as the first three Hillsborough hitters of the 1^st inning reached base and a sacrifice fly netted the Hawks a run to put them in front 1-0 early on. 

 

FSW answered with two outs in the top of the 2^nd as Kendry Noriega sent a 3-2 pitch deep and out to right for a solo shot to tie the score at 1 after two. 

 

Hillsborough pushed back in front in the 3^rd as they plated four runs on four hits and took advantage of a pair of FSW beanballs to take a 5-1 lead at the end of three complete. 

 

There was nothing going for either side in the 4^th or 5^th as it remained a 5-1 game to the 6^th when Paul Winland lifted a solo shot out the other way to cut it to a three run game at 5-2. 

 

Nicholas Regalado worked a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the 6^th with a pair of strikeouts on the mound for the Bucs to keep them within striking distance and a pinch hit, two run double to left from Ronny Medina in the FSW 7^th trimmed the Hillsborough lead to just one at stretch time at 5-4. 

 

The Bucs took their first lead of the game in the 8^th as Jose Izarra cracked a two run double of his own to make it 6-5 and later in the inning Winland drove in his second run of the game with a sac fly to right to make it 7-5. 

 

Regalado left after 4 2/3 sparkling innings of relief and handed the ball to Ronaldo Fernandez in the 8^th and the righthander punched out a pair in a scoreless frame to keep the Bucs in front 7-5.  

 

FSW couldn't add any insurance in the 9th, but they didn't need it as Grant Besser came in and slammed the door with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9^th to close out a 7-5 win for the Bucs. 

 

The Bucs bullpen was the story in the win as Regalado went 4 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to earn his second win of the season while Fernandez worked a scoreless 8^th for a hold and Besser breezed through the 9^th for his sixth save of the season. 

 

Offensively the Hawks outhit the Bucs 9-7 with Noriega the only FSW hitter to have multiple hits in the win, finishing 2-4 with his second inning homer. Winland, Medina, and Izarra all finished with a hit and a pair of RBIs for the Bucs. 

 

The Bucs win their fifth straight to improve to 30-12 overall and 17-3 in Suncoast Conference play where they are starting to run away with the conference, leading second place Polk by five games at night's end Wednesday.  Hillsborough falls to 15-23 overall and 5-12 in league action. 

 

The Bucs and Hawks will wrap up the series on Friday at 3 PM in Tampa when FSW looks for their second straight Suncoast Conference sweep.