Posted: Feb 04, 2023
NAPLES, Fla.- It was the tale of two games offensively for the #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers on Saturday as the Bucs were limited to just four hits in a 5-3 extra innings loss to #14 Chipola in their first game of the day before rebounding with a 25 hit explosion against St. Thomas in their nightcap to win 19-10 and finish the Paradise Cove Classic 3-1.
In a matchup of the last three NJCAA National Champions, the Bucs and #14 Chipola renewed their rivalry on the tournament's final day.
Early on both sides were flashing the leather with defensive play after defensive play highlighting the action, but it was an FSW error that allowed the Indians to hold a 1-0 lead at the end of three innings of action.
The Bucs leveled the score in the 4th as Sydney McCray coaxed a four pitch leadoff walk to begin the inning and came around to score on a bullet to right from Jaden Goodwin to put the teams back to square one, tied at 1-1.
An FSW error to start the 6th inning started a run scoring inning for Chipola to give them the lead back at 2-1. With the bases loaded and just one out, Bucs starter Belle Sardja came up with the biggest of her eight strikeouts on the day and then induced a pop up to keep it a one run game as FSW came to hit in the bottom half of the inning.
The Bucs caught a break in the bottom of the 6th when Chipola failed to correctly report a substitution to the umpire, allowing McCray to eventually walk after originally popping out to begin the inning. FSW would make it sting for the Indians as McCray moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Laura Vigna and scored after stealing third and coming home on a throwing error to knot the game back up at 2.
Lea Chevrier came in out of the FSW bullpen to put up a zero in the 7th and give the Bucs a chance to walk it off, but FSW went down quietly in the bottom of the inning to send the game to extra innings deadlocked at 2.
Chipola scored their placed runner in the international tiebreaker to go ahead 3-2 in the 8th but it looked like the Bucs were going to avoid further damage after a diving play on the infield resulted in an out. But the contrary was the truth as a throw in an attempt to back pick a runner at third went down the line and instead of ending the inning, it allowed two runs to score to put Chipola up 5-2 after 7 ½ innings of play.
The Bucs scored one in the 8th and brought the tying run to the plate with the middle of their lineup, but were inexplicably thrown out trying to steal second in a two run game and two pitches later the game was over after a pop up as Chipola took home the upset win 5-3.
FSW managed just four hits in the defeat. Goodwin had two including her first hit and RBI as a Buc. McCray and Vigna combined to reach base five times via walk to set the table for the middle of the FSW order. Sardja went six innings, allowing seven hits and two unearned runs while tying a career high with eight strikeouts. Chevrier was the tough luck loser, going two innings and allowing three unearned runs to fall to 2-1 on the year.
In their final game of the weekend the Bucs took their frustrations out on an unsuspecting St. Thomas squad.
FSW jumped on the Bobcats right away, scoring twice in the top half of the 1st, getting an RBI single from Vigna and another run on a St. Thomas error to take a quick 2-0 lead.
The Bucs defense let them down in the bottom half of the frame as a pair of errors led to four St. Thomas errors to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game at 4-2.
Three singles for St. Thomas led to another Bobcat run in the 2nd to make it 5-2 STU at the end of two .
The Bucs got a run back in the 3rd after Goodwin singled to get the inning going and later came around to score on an RBI groundout from Carys Platt to make it 5-3.
Kylee Graham came in out of the FSW bullpen and put up a zero in the bottom of the 3rd and the Bucs took advantage in their next cracks at the plate as Feline Poot, Goodwin, and Sietske Drijvers ripped back to back to back RBI singles to give the Bucs the lead back and later in the frame an RBI knock from Maddy Golka made it 9-5 FSW.
The Bucs were right back at it offensively in the 5th as D'Yani McKinley legged out a bunt hit to bring home a run and make it 10-6 before Drijvers knocked in her second run of the day to make it 11-6 and later on a successful double steal allowed McKinley to come home and make it 12-6 FSW.
FSW opened up a nine run lead in the 6th as McCray smoked an RBI triple the other way to make it 13-6 and scored on a sac fly from Vigna to push it to a 14-6 game. Later in the inning a Bobcat error allowed another Buccaneer run to score to make it 15-6 at the end of 5 1/2.
It looked like things were over with as a ground ball to third with two outs in the 6th would have kicked in the run rule if it was handled, but the Bucs fifth error of the night kept the inning alive and the Bobcats made the Bucs pay with two runs on a single to right to keep the game going at 15-8.
The Bucs padded their lead in the 7th with four runs on just one hit and St. Thomas got two of their own in the bottom half, but it wasn't enough as FSW finished off a marathon 19-10 win to finish the weekend 3-1.
The game featured 29 runs, 37 hits, and 12 errors combined between the two squads.
The top of the FSW order was on fire in the win as Shenita Tucker finished 4-6 with three runs scored, McCray was 3-4 and crossed the plate three times, Vigna was 3-4 with a pair of RBIs and four runs scored, and Poot was 3-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. McKinley was 3-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored off the bench for the Bucs.
Graham earned the win in the circle, going 4 2/3 without allowing an earned run while striking out seven to improve to 4-0 on the year.
The Bucs move to 7-2 on the year with the split.
FSW will be back in action next weekend in Dothan, Alabama where they will take on Gulf Coast State and #5 Wallace State on Friday before battling Enterprise State Saturday morning ahead of their trip back to Fort Myers.