FORT MYERS, FLA.- The #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers took care of business in their home openers Tuesday night at City of Palms Park, dropping visiting Palm Beach twice, by matching 8-0 scores to improve to 7-0 on the year.
It took a while for the Bucs to get going in game one of the doubleheader as they managed just a single run, coming on an infield single from Ciara Ford, through the first three innings as the game remained tight at 1-0.
Kelsi Collins kept FSW in front in the circle, striking out seven and not allowing a single ball out of the infield through four stellar frames.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Bucs offense woke up. Just when it looked like the inning was going to be over on a popup on the infield, the Panthers has some communication troubles and watched as it landed between three players, allowing a run to score and the inning to continue. After a single from Rebeca Laudino, Madison Johnson crushed an 0-1 offering over the wall in left for a three run shot to open the lead up to 6-0.
Collins struck out the side on just 14 pitches in the fifth and the Bucs offense added another tally in the bottom half with back to back singles ahead of a double from Paris Woods to drive home a run to make it 7-0.
Palm Beach broke up Collins' no hit bid with one out in the sixth on an infield single, but the sophomore kept the Panthers off the board as she stranded two at the end of the inning.
Lexi Moore got the Bucs half of the sixth started with a bullet up the middle off the glove of Palm Beach pitcher Sydney Kadur and quickly scored to kick in the run rule as Haley Ellefson laced a triple down the right field line to give FSW an 8-0 walk off win.
FSW outhit Palm Beach 9-1 in the contest and played clean on the defensive side of the ball while the Panthers had a pair of errors and a number of other misplays. The reigning FCSAA Pitcher of the Week, Collins spun a one hit shutout, striking out 11 in the process to earn her third win of the season. Offensively, nine different Bucs had hits with Johnson doing the damage with the three run shot and Woods scoring a pair of runs.
#3 FSW/PALM BEACH GAME ONE BOX SCORE
It didn't take nearly as long for the Bucs to get going in game two as Shanika Klett launched her third home run of the season to begin the FSW second and the Bucs added two more on a bloop single from Pallas Potter to plate two more to take a quick 3-0 lead.
Natavia Ellis drove a pitch up the middle to tack on another run for the Bucs in the third and reliever Sarah Lawton struck out the side in the top of the fourth to keep FSW on top 4-0.
FSW scored their fifth run of the game on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fourth and then Johnson drove a ball deep and over the fence in right center for a two run home run to stretch the lead to 7-0. The Bucs added their fourth run of the inning later on and after four complete it was 8-0 FSW.
Lawton was ready for the night to be over as she took the circle in the fifth, getting a foul out and a ground out to first before finishing it in style with a strikeout to give the Bucs their second straight 8-0 run rule victory over the Panthers.
Again the numbers were lopsided in favor of the Bucs as they outhit Palm Beach 11-3, getting knocks from eight different players in the win. Johnson and Potter finished with two hits and two RBI's each while Klett had two hits and scored twice. Haley Ellefson earned the win in the circle, going three innings without allowing a run while Lawton closed the game out with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts.
#3 FSW/PALM BEACH GAME TWO BOX SCORE
The Bucs improve to 7-0 with the weep while Palm Beach falls to 0-7.
FSW is back in action in exactly one week when they make the trip across Alligator Alley to take on Miami Dade in a doubleheader beginning at 1 PM.