Posted: Feb 26, 2023
LONGWOOD, Fla.- The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers found themselves in unfamiliar territory on Saturday as they were forced to come from behind in both of their games in the Courtney Miller Invitational, but they did just that, erasing 3-1 deficits against both Santa Fe and Daytona State for 6-4 and 4-3 wins to improve to 11-2 on the year.
In their first game of the day, the Bucs jumped ahead early on as Shenita Tucker used her speed to reach base and motor around the pillows, stealing third and scoring on a Santa Fe error to give FSW an early 1-0 lead.
The lead didn't last long as the Saints responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning as FSW starter Lea Chevrier hit three straight Santa Fe batters, two with the bases loaded to force home runs to put the Saints up 2-1 after one.
It remained a 2-1 game to the 4th when Santa Fe extended their lead to 3-1 on a two out double following a leadoff walk to put the Saints up a pair.
The Bucs equalized in the 5th with two outs as Sydney McCray walked with the bases loaded to make it a 3-2 game and Carys Platt scored on a wild pitch to draw even at 3-3 at the end of five.
The FSW 6th was rather bizarre as the Bucs loaded the bases without putting the ball in play and took the lead on a bases loaded walk to Platt followed by another walk to make it a 5-3. A sacrifice fly from Tucker plated the Bucs third run of the inning to put them up 6-3, all without the benefit of a hit.
Santa Fe brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the 7th, but managed just one run as Belle Sardja closed things out to preserve a 6-4 win for FSW.
Santa Fe outhit FSW 6-5 in the game while each team committed three errors. Tucker was the lone Buc with more than one hit in the win, going 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI while Sietske Drijvers scored two of the Bucs six runs. Sardja earned the win out of the FSW bullpen, going three innings of one hit ball to improve to 3-1 on the year.
Again Tucker and her speed was the catalyst in the Bucs second game of the day as they took on Daytona State as the Bucs leadoff hitter legged out an infield single to begin the ballgame and swiped second and moved to third on a sac bunt before scoring on a wild pitch to give FSW an early 1-0 lead.
Just like in their first game of the day, the Bucs lead was short lived as Daytona scored three times in the bottom of the 1st to take a surprising 3-1 lead.
Tucker drove in a run with a groundout in the 2nd to cut the Falcon lead to 3-2 and it remained that way through four.
The Bucs tied the game in the 5th as Tucker scored on a wild pitch and two pitches later Feline Poot drove home McCray from third to make it 4-3 Bucs.
For the second straight game Sardja came in out of the Bucs bullpen and was lights out, working a 1-2-3 top of the 6th and got a pair of huge strikeouts with the game on the line in the 7th to close things out and give the Bucs a 4-3 win.
Tucker and Platt each had two hits in the win for the Bucs while Drijvers had FSW's only extra base hit. Samantha Smith earned her first win of the year in the circle with five innings of work while Sardja earned her NJCAA leading fifth save with two shutout frames to close things out.
The Bucs have now won five straight to improve to 11-2 on the year.
THe Bucs will be back in action at the Courtney Miller Invitational in Sanford on Sunday when they take on #11 Pensacola State in an early morning start before battling old Suncoast Conference rival St. Petersburg at 12:30 PM.