Posted: Mar 29, 2022
FORT MYERS, Fla.- Most college softball teams are happy if they reach 30 wins in a season. Tuesday, the #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers picked up their 30th and 31st wins of the season before April, downing the visiting State College of Florida Manatees 9-1 and 6-2 to remain a perfect 6-0 in Suncoast Conference play.
The Bucs struck first in game one of the doubleheader as Laura Vigna began the FSW 1st with a double to left and came around to score on a single from Feline Poot to give the Bucs a quick 1-0 lead. An RBI single from Taylor Jensen and a groundout from McKenzie Wittenberg pushed the lead to 3-0 and a single through the right side from Carys Platt extended it to a 4-0 lead after one.
A leadoff double followed by an FSW error helped the Manatees crack the scoreboard for the first time in the 2nd, but Bucs righthander Belle Sardja picked up a big strikeout to avert further damage to keep it a 4-1 game in favor of the Bucs at the end of two.
The 3rd was quiet, but the Bucs were back on the attack in the 4th as Shenita Tucker used her speed to steal a pair of bases and score FSW's fifth run of the game and later in the frame a fielder's choice upped the Bucs lead to 6-1.
The Bucs put the game away in the 6th as Pallas Potter ripped a two out double to right center to make it a 7-1 game and Jensen blooped a single into left to score two more, kicking in the run rule with FSW winning it 9-1.
The Bucs banged out 12 hits in the win, led by Jensen who finished 3-4 with three RBIs and Poot who was 2-2 and reached in all four plate appearances, scoring three runs. Sardja went the distance in the circle, improving to 7-2 on the year, allowing just four hits and one unearned run, while striking out six to earn the victory.
It looked like game two was going to be a repeat of the start of game one when the Bucs scored four in the 1st as they loaded the bases with one out in their first trip to the plate, but couldn't push anything across and the game was scoreless at the end of one.
The Bucs broke through in the 2nd with two outs as Vigna slapped a single up the middle to drive home a run and Wittenberg followed that up with a bullet to right to make it 2-0 FSW after two.
FSW starter Baylee Haggard worked a quick 1-2-3 3rd and the Bucs were back at it in the bottom of the inning as they put two on with two out before Carys Platt placed a perfect bunt out in front of the plate to allow Caroline Figueroa to scamper home to push the lead to 3-0.
Figueroa was in the middle of the action again in the 4th as with one out, she sent a 1-1 pitch deep into the night, crushing a two run home run out to center to pad the Bucs lead to 5-0.
In the 5th it was Figueroa's glove that made the highlight reel as after Haggard got two quick outs to start the inning, Figueroa made a spectacular diving play in front of the FSW dugout to end the inning and keep the Bucs in front 5-0.
The Bucs scored for the fourth straight inning in the bottom of the 5th on a fielder's choice groundout from Vigna to extend the lead to 6-0.
The Bucs defense let them down a bit in the 7th as a pair of errors allowed the Manatees to break up the shutout, but they would get just two and Samantha Smith finished them off in style with a strikeout to seal up a 6-2 win for the Purple and Aqua.
FSW outhit SCF 10-3 in the contest led by Vigna and Wittenberg at the top who both finished with a pair of hits and combined for three RBIs. Figueroa was 1-2 with a homer and a pair of walks and Platt had a pair of hits and accounted for two runs. Haggard earned the win in the circle with six shutout innings of work, allowing just one hit and striking out six to improve to 16-1 on the year.
The Bucs push their win streak to eight with the victories, improving to 31-4 overall while remaining perfect in Suncoast Conference play at 6-0. State College of Florida falls to 20-18 overall and 2-6 in league play.
FSW will be back at it on Saturday when they head to Winter Haven to take on Polk State in a doubleheader beginning at noon in Central Florida.
