Posted: Mar 25, 2022
TAMPA, Fla.- Feline Poot homered three times and drove home nine to lead a 31 run attack from the #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers Friday night in Tampa as the Bucs hammered the Hillsborough Hawks 18-8 and 13-4 in a pair of five inning run rules in their first Suncoast Conference doubleheader of the 2022 season.
Hillsborough struck first in game one, plating a run after an FSW error in the bottom of the 1st to take an early 1-0 lead.
The lead didn't last long though as the Bucs answered back with a touchdown in the 2nd as Beth Reid was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to even the score and moments later Sterre den Duijn launched a 1-0 pitch over the wall in left for a grand slam to put FSW in front 5-1. After an RBI groundout from Feline Poot, Caroline Figueroa picked up a two out RBI single to stretch the Bucs lead to 7-1 at the end of an inning and a half.
The Hawks got a run back in the bottom of the 2nd, but this was not going to be a game where single runs were going to win the game for HCC.
FSW was back on the attack in the 3rd as Laura Vigna and Shenita Tucker drove home runs to make it 9-2 before Poot drilled a two run shot to center for her team leading sixth home run to push the lead to 11-2.
Hillsborough scored for the third consecutive inning in the 3rd on an FSW error and a bases loaded bean ball to cut the Bucs lead to 11-4.
The Bucs got those runs back and more in the 4th as den Duijn drove homer her fifth and sixth runs of the game with a single to right and Vigna doubled to left to drive her home to make it 14-4. FSW still wasn't done there as they added four more later in the inning including a two run double from McKenzie Wittenberg, opening up an 18-4 lead at the end of 3 1/2.
Hillsborough rallied for four in the 5th, but it wasn't enough to keep the contest going as FSW finished off an 18-8 win to kick in the run rule and take the front end of the twinbill.
The Bucs banged out 17 hits in the win led by Wittenberg who finished a perfect 4-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Den Duijn and Poot provided the muscle as den Duijn finished 2-3 with a homer and six RBIs while Poot was 2-4 with a homer and four driven home. Vigna was 3-5 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored at the top of the lineup. Baylee Haggard benefitted from the run support in the circle, going three innings and allowing seven hits and four runs, two earned, to improve to 15-1 on the year.
The Bucs blitzed the Hawks in game two as Vigna and Wittenberg singled to start the game and Poot cracked a three run home run to center to make it 3-0 before FSW recorded their first out of the game. With two outs, Hillsborough gifted the Bucs their fourth run of the inning as they walked two and hit two to push FSW's lead to 4-0.
A rash of errors by the Bucs in the bottom of the 1st allowed Hillsborough to get a run back to make it 4-1 at the end of one.
FSW answered with two in the 2nd as Taylor Jensen drove home a run with a sac fly and Drijvers continued her big day with an RBI double to center to make it 6-1 Bucs.
Two more Buccaneer errors in the 2nd allowed Hillsborough to score their second run of the game to cut the FSW lead to 6-2 at the end of two.
The Bucs defensive blunders continued in the 3rd as their sixth error of the contest allowed Hillsborough to plate another run to make it 6-3.
FSW got their bats going again in the 4th as Reid doubled home run and scored on the next pitch on an RBI single from Drijvers to make it 8-3. Later in the frame a successful double steal netted the Bucs a run and den Duijn drove home the fourth run of the inning for the Purple and Aqua to cushion the lead to 10-3.
Bucs reliever Belle Sardja got three straight groundball outs in the 4th to keep it a 10-3 game and FSW added to their lead in the 5th as Poot launched her third home run of the day out to center to make it 12-3 and later in the inning Drijvers drove home her third run of the game to stretch it to a 10 run lead at 13-3.
The Hawks got one in the 5th, but they needed three to keep the game going as Sardja finished them off in style with a strikeout to kick in the run rule once again with the Bucs winning it 13-4 to sweep the doubleheader.
FSW outhit Hillsborough 13-4 in the win, but committed six errors that yielded three unearned runs for the Hawks in the contest. Poot paced the offense with a 3-4, five RBI game which included a pair of home runs. Fellow countrywoman Charlotte Drijvers was a perfect 3-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Sardja earned the win out of the bullpen, going 2 1/3 innings and allowing two hits and one run to improve to 6-3 on the year.
FSW improves to 29-4 overall and 4-0 in Suncoast Conference play where they have now won 40 consecutive conference contests. Hillsborough falls to 12-22 overall and drops 3 1/2 games off the pace in the conference standings at 1-6.
The Bucs return home on Tuesday when they host State College of Florida in a doubleheader beginning at 5 PM at City of Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers.