Posted: Apr 13, 2022
FORT MYERS, Fla.- Kendry Noriega homered and three pitchers held the ASA Silver Storm in check Wednesday afternoon at City of Palms Park as the #7 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers held on for a 3-2 win over ASA to improve to 33-13 on the year.
The Bucs got the scoring started in the 1st as Kendry Noriega launched a solo shot out to left to give FSW a quick 1-0 lead.
ASA answered two innings later as the Silver Storm got a solo home run of their own to lead off the 3rd to level the score at 1-1.
It remained a 1-1 game to the 5th when Satchell Norman gunned down a runner at second to end the top half of the frame, but the Bucs couldn't push anything across in the bottom half for the fourth straight frame as the game stayed deadlocked after five complete.
Riley Skeen took over on the mound for the Bucs in the 6th and wiggled out of a jam in the top half of the inning thanks in part to more help from Norman behind the plate who threw out a runner at third to end the frame and keep it a 1-1 game.
The Bucs pushed across the go ahead run in the bottom of the 6th after Paul Winland and Simon Baumer singled to start the inning and moved up on wild pitches before another errant pitch allowed Winland to trot home to put FSW up 2-1.
Skeen was locked in in the 7th, punching out the side, all looking to keep the Bucs in front 2-1.
The Bucs added an insurance run in the 8th when Norman walked with one out and came around to score on a line drive double to left from Kalvin Alexander to make it 3-1.
The run came in handy in the 9th as ASA mounted a rally and pushed a run across to make it a one run game, but a spectacular play up the middle from shortstop Jose Izarra ended the threat and the game as the Bucs held on to win 3-2.
Each side had seven hits in the contest. Winland was the lone Buc to have two hits in the game, finishing 2-3 with a double and a run scored. Ben Peterson started and gave the Bucs five strong innings of one run baseball in the longest outing of his career. Skeen earned his first win of the season out of the bullpen, going two innings and striking out four to improve to 1-0 on the year. Ben Petschke threw the final two frames for his third save of the season.
The Bucs move to 20 games over .500 at 33-13 while ASA Miami falls to 11-26. The win is the fifth of the season for FSW over the Silver Storm and the 26th straight victory in the series for the Buccaneers.
FSW begins the home stretch of Suncoast Conference play on Friday when they host State College of Florida in the first of a three game series between the two at 3 PM at City of Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers.