Posted: May 09, 2022
LONGWOOD, Fla.- The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers did it the hard way, winning their third game in less than 24 hours, but they got it done, exacting revenge on the Seminole State Raiders to the tune of a 13-1 victory in the NJCAA South Atlantic District B Championship to punch their ticket back to Yuma, Arizona to defend their 2021 NJCAA National Championship.
The Bucs got off to an inauspicious start as they went down in order in the top of the 1st inning and Seminole used a pair of hits and an FSW error to push across a run to take a 1-0 lead.
The 2nd inning was a different story as Taylor Jensen and Charlotte Drijvers banged back to back doubles to even the score and a bloop single from Mackenzie Wittenberg plated another to put the Bucs on top 2-1. After back to back outs, the Bucs continued to push as Laura Vigna slapped a two run single to left to double the lead to 4-1 and two batters later Feline Poot caught a streak of good fortune as a check swing turned into a two run single down the right field line to make it 6-1. Still with two outs, Caroline Figueroa remained red hot, singling through the hole on the left side to kick the extra point for the Bucs to make it 7-1 FSW after two.
Back to back hits from the top of the Bucs lineup in Vigna and Shenita Tucker set the table for Poot again in the 4th and she cashed in Vigna with a sacrifice fly to up the FSW lead to 8-1.
Belle Sardja remained in control in the circle for the Bucs in the 4th, picking up two more strikeouts to put a zero on the scoreboard and keep it an 8-1 game.
The Bucs put the game out of reach in the 5th as Carys Platt and Sterre den Duijn got back to back singles to score a run and Beth Reid launched a sac fly to deep center to plate another to make it 10-1. After that it was more two out magic for Poot and FSW as she split the gap in left center with a two run double to open it up to a 12-1 game at the end of five innings of play.
Drijvers picked up her third hit of the game with one out in the 6th and moved to third on a double from Ava Worthy before Platt drove her home with the Bucs third sac fly of the game to make it 13-1.
Sardja remained in the game in the bottom of the 6th and worked around a one out FSW error to keep the game right there at 13-1.
The Bucs weren't able to push anything across in the 7th, but it didn't matter as Sardja worked another 1-2-3 inning, finishing the game in style with a strikeout to send the Bucs dugout into an eruption as they came flying out onto the field in celebration as FSW punched their ticket to their second straight NJCAA National Tournament with a 13-1 win.
FSW banged out 17 hits in the win after managing just four against the Raiders in their Saturday loss. Poot was 2-3 with a double and five RBIs in the win while Drijvers finished 3-4 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored and Vigna was 3-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored at the top of the lineup. Sardja went the distance for the second straight game, allowing just three hits and one unearned run while striking out eight to improve to 11-2 on the year.
After the win, Poot, Sardja, Drijvers, and Figueroa were all named to the FCSAA State Tournament All-Tournament Team.
FSW punches their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament with the South Atlantic District B Championship for the second straight season, fighting off three elimination games to do the trick. The Bucs improve to 49-5 on the year while Seminole State sees their season come to a close at 43-26.
The Bucs will have a couple of weeks off before heading to the desert May 24-28 to try and defend their crown.
Stay tuned to FSWBucs.com and @FSWBucs on social media for matchup and game time information for Yuma.