Posted: May 29, 2022
YUMA, Az.- The Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers won their second straight NJCAA National Championship Saturday afternoon in Yuma, Arizona, beating #7 McLennan by scores of 4-2 and 7-6 to become the first team to fight back to win the tournament from the elimination bracket since Chattanooga State in 2012.
Needing to knock off the Highlanders twice to defend their National Title, the Bucs got off to a good start on Saturday in game one, getting an RBI single from Taylor Jensen to get on the board in the 2nd inning and then adding another later in the frame on a wild pitch to take an early 2-0 lead.
Bucs starter Belle Sardja blew through the powerful McLennan lineup in the 3rd with a 1-2-3 frame and her offense rewarded her with some more run support with two more in the bottom of the inning to double their lead to 4-0.
McLennan finally got on the board in the 4th with a solo home run, but that was all they could muster against Sardja as FSW continued to lead it 4-1 at the end of four complete.
The Highlanders brought the tying run to the plate in the 5th, but a stellar defensive play from Sterre den Duijn at third ended the inning and the Bucs remained in front 4-1 as the teams sailed to the 6th.
McLennan got back to back one out hits in the 6th to plate a run, but Shenita Tucker ended any thought of the Highlanders getting more than one as she nailed a runner at second trying to move up on a single to pick up the second out of the inning and a lineout ended the frame to keep FSW in front 4-2.
The Bucs couldn't add any insurance in the 6th but they didn't need it as Sardja worked with deadly precision in the circle, inducing three straight ground ball outs to put the Highlanders to sleep in game one with the Bucs taking the opener 4-2 to force a winner take all National Championship Game.
Sardja went the distance in the circle on just 86 pitches, allowing five hits and two runs to improve to 15-3 on the year. Pallas Potter was a perfect 3-3 with an RBI in the win while Laura Vigna and Carys Platt each had two hits.
After fighting off four straight elimination games, the Bucs looked to clip the Highlanders one more time in a winner take all final game of the 2022 season.
For the second straight game, the Bucs jumped on the Highlanders early as they loaded the bases with nobody out and got a sacrifice fly from Potter to drive home a run and make it 1-0 FSW at the end of one inning of play.
FSW turned to lefty Kylee Graham in the circle, making just her sixth start of the season, and she delivered once again. The southpaw worked around a one out error and stuck out a pair in a scoreless 2nd to keep it a 1-0 game and her offense rewarded her in the bottom of the frame as Platt singled and stole second before den Duijn cranked out her eighth homer of the year, a two run shot to left to up the Bucs lead to 3-0.
After another quick inning from Graham in the 3rd, the Bucs continued to put pressure on the Highlanders as McKenzie Wittenberg remained red hot with an RBI single to drive home Feline Poot to make it 4-0.
National Player of the Year shoe in Caitlyn Wong launched a two run shot to get McLennan on the board in the 4th, but the Bucs answered right back when Shenita Tucker drove home a run on a ground ball to make it 5-2.
The Bucs ran into trouble in the 5th as McLennan picked up back to back bases loaded knocks to score three runs and tie the score at 5.
The Cardiac Kids took the lead back in the bottom of the 5th as a McLennan error allowed the first run of the inning to score before Feline Poot drove one up the middle for an RBI single to make it 7-5.
Nothing was going for either side in the 7th as the game quickly moved to the 7th with the Bucs clinging to a 7-5 lead.
A solo home run from McLennan made it a one run game in the 7th at 7-6 when FSW Head Coach Robert Iamurri played his trump card, walking Wong intentionally to put the tying run on base with just one out left to get. The tactic worked as a groundout to second left the runner stranded which meant FSW clinched their second straight NJCAA National Championship.
Poot was a perfect 3-3, scoring one run and driving home another in the victory while den Duijn was a perfect 2-2 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs to pace the FSW bats.
Graham didn't factor in the decision, but went four innings of two hit ball before FSW eventually turned back to Sardja to pick up the final seven outs, earning her fifth win of the tournament and 16th of the season to improve to 16-3 on the year.
The win was the seventh of the week for FSW and fifth straight under elimination conditions. FSW becomes the first team since Chattanooga State in 2012 to come back and win the tournament out of the elimination bracket while also becoming just the second team to earn repeat titles in the past 30 years.
At tournament's end, Belle Sardja, Charlotte Drijvers, Shenita Tucker, and Feline Poot were all named to the All-Tournament Team while Poot was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tournament with her work at short and Sardja earned both the Most Outstanding Pitcher and Most Valuable Player award for the tournament.
Another record breaking season comes to a close at the pinnacle for the Bucs as they finish the season 56-6 overall and a perfect 8-0 in elimination games that would have ended their season early.
The Bucs will celebrate their Championship on Tuesday in Suncoast Credit Union Arena with a reception beginning at 1 PM. The event will be open to the public with player and coach introduction as well as a chance to meet and greet with the Champs after the event.
