LONGWOOD, FLA.- Despite entering the 2019 FCSAA State Tournament as the #1 team in the country, the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers knew their path to a title would be anything but easy. In a field that included five ranked teams and three in the top five, the Bucs ran into a buzz saw in the championship game on Saturday, dropping a 6-3 decision to #5 Central Florida and will have to try for a District H Championship on Sunday to extend their season.
It looked like the Bucs were going to take a lead right away as Rebeca Laudino banged a double to the wall to begin the game, but the middle of the FSW order couldn't bring her in as she was stranded there at the end of the inning.
It didn't take Central Florida long to get on the board as their leadoff hitter in the bottom of the first smashed one into the trees past the center field wall for a solo shot to give the Patriots a quick 1-0 lead.
The Bucs got going in the third as Pallas Potter ripped a solo home run to left to lead off inning, knotting the score up at 1. Three straight infield singles after the home run loaded the bases with nobody out and Madison Johnson got just enough of one to bleed it over the Patriot infield to bring home a run and make it a 2-1 game. A double play killed the Bucs rally for a moment, but after reloading the bases with two outs, Owen Bowers cued one to first base and legged out an RBI single to put the Bucs in front 3-1. However, on the play, FSW was caught in a miscommunication on the bases which resulted in an out and the end of the inning rather than another bases loaded chance and it would come back to hurt them later on.
FSW fell apart on the defensive end in the fourth to allow Central Florida back into it. The Bucs committed three errors, all on the infield, to allow the Patriots to score three runs without ever hitting the ball to the outfield. At the end of an ugly inning for the Bucs it was 4-3 Central Florida.
The Bucs looked like they had the equalizer in the sixth as Laudino lined a ball to right with two on and two out, but the Central Florida rightfielder made a spectacular play, saving the game for the Patriots by keeping them ahead 4-3.
With all of the momentum on their side, the Patriots banged out three straight hits, including a two run triple to right to begin the bottom of the sixth, quickly pushing their lead from one to three at 6-3.
The Bucs put a runner on in the seventh, but never got the tying run past the on deck circle as they fell 6-3 and watched the Patriots celebrate their first State Championship in history on the Soldier's Creek Infield.
FSW outhit Central Florida 10-7 in the game, but the Patriots played clean on defense and FSW committed three errors, allowing three unearned runs, which turned out to be the difference in the contest. Potter led the FSW offense with a perfect 3 for 3 game including the home run while Laudino and Lindsey Corbin each had two hits atop the Bucs lineup. Kelsi Collins suffered her first loss of the season, allowing four runs, just one earned, in 3 1/3 to fall to 25-1 on the year.
The Bucs fall to 54-2 on the year with the loss while Central Florida improves to 54-9 and punches their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament with the win.
FSW will get an opportunity for redemption on Sunday where they will take on the winner of the Chipola/Indian River game in the District H Championship at 12 PM with a trip to the National Tournament on the line.