Posted: Apr 23, 2022
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers honored their historic sophomore class playing in their final home games at City of Palms Park Saturday as they took on the Polk State Eagles. The Bucs took care of business in game one 8-2 before blowing the Eagles out in game two 11-3 thanks in part to five RBIs from Feline Poot who broke the program's career RBI record with 150 in the win to finish off the sweep and wrap up the second straight undefeated conference season for FSW.
The Bucs were the first to score in game one as Shenita Tucker was hit by a pitch, stole second and then scored on an RBI single from Feline Poot to quickly make it 1-0 FSW in the 1st.
It remained a 1-0 game to the 3rd when Polk got a two out RBI double to left to level the score at 1-1.
The game didn't stay tied long as the Bucs answered right back in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs on just one hit to retake a 5-1 lead.
Bucs starter Kylee Graham worked her second straight 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 4th and the Bucs added to their lead in the bottom of the frame as Laura Vigna ripped a single through the right side to drive home a run and make it 6-1.
The Bucs fourth error of the game cost them a run in the 5th to make it 6-2 but Pallas Potter and Caroline Figueroa picked up RBI knocks in the 6th to push the Bucs lead to 8-2 and that is the way it ended as Belle Sardja painted strike three to close out the 7th to give FSW the six run game one win.
It was a sloppy game for both sides as FSW and Polk finished with just 11 combined hits while combining for six errors in the contest. Vigna finished 2-3 with a pair of runs scored at the top of the order while Poot was 1-3 with two RBIs. Graham worked four innings in the circle to earn the win and improve to 8-0 on the year while Sardja went the final three without allowing an earned run to pick up her third save of the season.
Game two was all Bucs, all the time.
FSW needed just three batters in the bottom of the 1st to take their first lead of the game as Poot crushed a two run home run to left to give the Bucs a quick 2-0 lead.
The Bucs added to their lead in the 2nd, loading the bases with nobody out and getting an RBI single from Sterre den Duijn to make it 3-0 and then a two run single up the box from Poot to up their lead to 5-0. With the two RBIs, Poot passed Natavia Ellis for first place on FSW's all-time RBI list with 150 during her illustrious career. One batter later Figueroa got into the action with a two run single of her own to make it 7-0 Buccaneers after two.
Three walks by Bucs pitching in the 3rd got them into trouble and a bases clearing double got the Eagles on the board in game two and took a significant chunk out of the Bucs lead at 7-3.
FSW got two runs back in the bottom of the inning as Vigna beat the Polk outfield to the wall in left to drive home two runs and make it a 9-3 game.
Brooke Geiger came in out of the FSW bullpen in the 5th and needed just five pitches to work a 1-2-3 inning to keep it a 9-3 game.
A Polk error allowed an FSW run to score in the bottom of the 5th to make it 10-3 and set up the Eagles in an unenviable position with Poot at the plate and two runners in scoring position and she didn't take long to knock one of those runners in as she lifted a sacrifice fly deep to left to drive in her fifth run of the game to kick in the run rule with the Bucs taking game two 11-3.
The Bucs outhit the Eagles 13-1 in the game led by Poot who was a perfect 3-3 with a homer and five RBIs while Vigna and Figueroa each had two hits and two RBIs in the win. Den Duijn reached base in all three of her plate appearances, going 2-2 and getting hit by a pitch while scoring three times for FSW. Baylee Haggard allowed just one hit in four innings of work to earn the win in the circle to improve to an NJCAA best 22-1 on the year.
The victories extend the Bucs win streak to 22 games as they move to 45-4 overall while wrapping up their second straight unbeaten Suncoast Conference slate, finishing a perfect 20-0. Polk falls to 14-28 overall and 5-14 in conference play.
The Bucs will be back in action two more times during the regular season as they travel to Melbourne to take on Eastern Florida Thursday before taking on Miami Dade in South Beach on Saturday.