FORT MYERS, Fla.- Belle Sardja threw the Bucs first no-hitter in over six years and Baylee Haggard tossed a shutout in game two of the doubleheader as the #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers dominated a Suncoast Conference twinbill Tuesday night against the St. Petersburg Titans as FSW took game one 8-0 and game two 9-0, both in run rule fashion to take a commanding lead atop the conference standings. 

 

In game one, Belle Sardja set the tone right away, needing just seven pitches to work a quick 1-2-3 top of the 1^st and Caroline Figueroa drove home a run with a two out single to give the Bucs a quick 1-0 lead. 

 

Back to back two out RBI singles by Sterre den Duijn and Laura Vigna in the 2^nd upped the lead to 3-0 and FSW opened up a 7-0 lead on a two out, two run double from den Duijn to highlight a four run 3rd. 

 

Sardja worked another quick frame in the top of the 4^th and breezed through the 5^th to keep the Bucs in front 7-0.  

 

A leadoff double by Charlotte Drijvers set the table for the Bucs in the 5^th and two batters later, a sacrifice fly from Pallas Potter brought her home and ended the game in an 8-0 run rule. 

 

In the process of the makeshift walk off, the Bucs offense also did Sardja a favor, finishing off the righties no-hitter, the first for an FSW pitcher in over six years.  

 

Sardja needed just 51 pitches to throw the program's second no-hitter as she allowed just two baserunners, one via a walk and the other via an FSW error, to improve to 7-2 on the year in the circle. 

 

Den Duijn was the offensive star for the Bucs, going 2-2 with a double and three RBIs while Figueroa also collected a pair of knocks and scored and drove in a run. 

 

 

It was more of the same in game two as this time it was Baylee Haggard retiring the side in order for the Bucs in the 1^st and Feline Poot driving home a 1^st inning run to give FSW a 1-0 lead after one. 

 

A bullet to dead center off the bat of Shenita Tucker drove home two for the Bucs in the 2^nd to extend the lead to 3-0 and Haggard made sure it remained that way through four. 

 

St. Pete put two on without a hit in the 5th, but Haggard wiggled out of the Bucs first trouble of the day to keep it a 3-0 game. 

 

McKenzie Wittenberg led off the FSW 5^th with a solo shot to center to make it 4-0 and later in the inning Tucker singled through the box to bring home to more to push the lead to 7-0.  After Tucker stole second to put the winning run 120 feet away, Poot crushed the first pitch she saw into the night for a two run shot for an impromptu walk off bomb to give the Bucs the game 9-0.  

 

Haggard fired a two hit shutout to improve to 16-1 on the year in the circle. Tucker and Poot combined to drive in seven, Tucker going 2-3 with a triple and three RBIs while Poot was 1-4 with a homer and three RBIs.  Wittenberg finished a perfect 2-2 with a home run as well in the win. 

 

 

FSW runs their win streak to 10 with the victories, improving to 32-4 overall and 8-0 in Suncoast Conference play while St. Petersburg falls to 28-18 overall and 6-4 in league play.

 

The Bucs are back in action on Thursday when they travel to Winter Haven to take on Polk State in a conference doubleheader beginning at 4 PM.