FORT MYERS, Fla.- The #10 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers won their fourth straight game via run rule, jumping on the Santa Fe Saints early and never looking back Thursday at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers, shutting out the Saints 9-0 in the opening game of a three game Citrus Conference series between the two. 

 

FSW starter Robert Mitchell picked up where he left off in his first career start last week, retiring the Santa Fe side in order in the top of the 1^st on just seven pitches to allow the Bucs to get out to an early lead. 

 

Anthony Ruocco singled on the first pitch of the FSW 1^st before 11 straight pitches out of the zone allowed the Bucs to load the bases with nobody out. Jake Mueller knocked in a run with a single and Nik Pereira picked up an RBI on a groundout to make it 2-0. A walk reloaded the bases for the Bucs and Nathan Fink quickly unloaded them, crushing a grand slam out to deep left center field to blow the game open early at 6-0. 

 

Mitchell pitched around leadoff doubles in the 2^nd and 4^th to keep the Saints off the board and FSW got three straight two out extra base hits from Ruocco, Brock Knoerr, and Devin Parks to score twice and bump their lead to 8-0. 

 

Santa Fe had their best scoring chance of the game in the 5^th as they loaded the bases on three FSW walks, but former Buc Eric Blair couldn't punish his old team, grounding out to second to end the threat and the inning. 

 

The Bucs added a run in the bottom of the 6^th on a two out RBi single from Knoerr to make it 9-0 and that is the way it would end as Brandon Eldridge worked his third scoreless inning of relief to close it out with the run rule kicking in in a 9-0 win in seven for FSW. 

 

Mitchell threw 4 2/3 innings of shutout baseball with five strikeouts to earn his second win of the year while Eldridge went 2 1/3 behind him, allowing just one hit while fanning four to finish things off. 

 

The Bucs outhit the Saints 8-3 in the win with Ruocco and Knoerr each collecting a pair of hits at the top of the order and Fink putting together the big blow with the 1^st inning grand slam. 

 

FSW wins their fourth straight Citrus Conference game via run rule, improving to 29-9 overall and 15-7 in conference action.  Santa Fe falls to 19-20 overall and 10-12 in league play with the loss. 

 

The same two teams will wrap up the series in Gainesville on Saturday with first pitch of their doubleheader scheduled for noon.