Posted: Mar 03, 2022
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The top ranked Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers have made it a habit of shortening games via the run rule in rather un-dramatic fashion this season. Neither of their games Wednesday against the Miami Dade Sharks would fit those billings as the Bucs fell behind big early in both games of the doubleheader before storming back to win 11-9 in game one and 7-6 in walk off fashion in extra innings in game two to improve to 23-2 on the year.
Things didn't exactly get off to the right foot for the Bucs as Miami Dade came out swinging, using two hits and a pair of FSW errors in the top of the 1st in game one to score three times and take an early 3-0 lead.
Three more singles for the Sharks in the 2nd pushed a run across, upping Miami Dade's lead to 4-0 after an inning and half of action.
The Bucs struck back in the bottom of the 2nd as they loaded the bases with nobody out before Charlotte Drijvers got them on the board with a line drive to right to push a pair home to cut the Shark lead in half to 4-2. A Miami Dade error led to another Buccaneer run to make it 4-3 and later in the inning a bases loaded walk forced home a run and leveled the score at 4-4. A flair off the bat of Taylor Jensen plated two more and back to back RBI singles from McKenzie Wittenberg and Chelsea Brown stretched the Bucs lead to 8-4.
Miami Dade answered right back with three straight singles to start the 3rd to load the bases and another hit brought a run home to make it 8-5. Later in the inning a bad misplay defensively for the Bucs led to another run scoring and the Sharks fifth hit of the inning pushed two more across the plate to even up the score at 8-8.
The poor defense by both sides continued in the 5th as back to back Miami Dade errors allowed the Bucs to break the tie and retake a 9-8 lead and after a double steal, an infield single from Shenita Tucker chased home another run to make it a 10-8 game.
Miami Dade got back to within one on an FSW error in the 6th, but the Bucs got it right back in the bottom half on a key two out RBI double from Caroline Figueroa to push it back to a two run game at 11-9.
FSW starter Belle Sardja got a pair of ground balls back to her in the circle to begin the Miami Dade 7th and a lineout to left was all she wrote for the Sharks as the Bucs finished off an 11-9 win in the opener.
The Bucs finished with 14 hits, getting hits from nine different players in the win. Wittenberg finished 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI while Jensen was 2-3 with two driven home and two runs scored. Sardja gutted through a complete game, allowing 15 hits and four earned runs while striking out six to improve to 5-1 on the year in the circle.
The Bucs got off to another rough start in game two as Miami Dade struck for five, including a three run home run in the 2nd to take an early 5-0 lead.
A one out RBI single up the middle from Tucker got the Bucs on the board in the 3rd to cut the Miami Dade lead to 5-1, and it remained that way into the 5th.
Pallas Potter led off the FSW 5th with a double to left to get a rally started for the Bucs and a bases loaded walk to Brown forced a run home to make it 5-2. A sacrifice fly and a wild pitch pated two more, getting the Bucs back to within one at 5-4 after five complete.
Baylee Haggard worked a 1-2-3 top of the 6th for the Bucs to keep it a one run game and FSW used it to tie up the score in the bottom half with a run on a bases loaded double play to make it a 5-5 game.
A line drive double play in the top of the 7th helped give the Bucs a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the frame and they put a runner in scoring position with two outs, but a ground ball ended the threat quietly and sent the game to extra innings tied at 5.
Miami Dade cashed in their free runner to start the 8th to make it a 6-5 game, but Haggard worked out of a bases loaded one out jam to avert more danger and keep it a one run game.
Charlotte Drijvers tied the game in the bottom of the 8th with a line drive double to the left center field gap to bring home a run to make it 6-6 and one batter later Sterre Den Duijn drilled a double to center to bring home the game winning run, giving FSW a 7-6 victory to sweep the doubleheader with the Sharks.
The teams had eight hits a side in the contest with Wittenberg the only FSW player with multiple hits, going 3-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Haggard improved to 12-0 on the year in the circle, going the distance and allowing eight hits and five runs, all unearned, while striking out seven.
FSW improves to 23-2 on the season with the sweep while Miami Dade drops to 11-13.
The Bucs and Sharks will be back at it next Wednesday, this time with a twinbill in Miami scheduled at 1:00 PM.