Posted: Feb 07, 2025
DOTHAN, Ala.- The #7 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers remained unbeaten on the season Friday afternoon in the Visit Dothan Invitational, defeating Northwest Shoals 10-3 before taking care of Shelton State 9-4 to improve to 5-0 on the year.
Things got off to a rough start for the Bucs in their first game of the day as an error started off the game and turned into a run later in the inning for Northwest Shoals and a solo home run put the Patriots up 2-0 before FSW got to hit for the first time in the game.
The Bucs answered right back though as Emily Allegood and Skylar Brennan picked up back to back one out hits and Allegood score on a wild pitch before Brennan trotted home on a bloop single from Virginia Mambelli to tie the game back up at 2 after an entertaining 1st.
The Patriots retook the lead in the top of the 2nd with a two out run, but it wouldn't last long as Noelani Livingstone beat out an infield single to drive home a run and three straight RBI knocks from Allegood, Brennan, and Mambelli gave FSW a five run frame and a 7-3 lead after two.
K'Mari Williams laid down a perfectly executed bunt to bring home the Bucs eighth run of the game in the 3rd and Megan Veilleux smacked a two out RBI single back up the middle in the 4th to put FSW up 9-3 as the teams went to the 5th.
Zoe Yzaguirre shut down any thought of a Patriot comeback with 1-2-3 frames in the circle in the 5th and 6th to keep the Bucs up big and then finished Shoals off in the 7th to wrap up a 10-3 win for FSW.
Yzaguirre went five shutout innings to earn her second win of the year for FSW. She allowed just three hits while punching out seven to improve to 2-0 in the circle. The top of the FSW lineup was electric in the win as each of their first four hitters finished with two hits while Allegood accounted for four runs with two RBIs and two runs scored.
After a scoreless 1st in game two of the day against Shelton State, Megan Veilleux got the Bucs on the board on the second pitch of the 2nd inning, hitting a solo home run to dead center field to put FSW in front 1-0 early. Williams and Allegood added sacrifice flies later in the inning and Livingstone used her speed to beat out a bunt single to score a run to make it 4-0 FSW after two.
The Bucs took advantage of a Shelton error to pad their lead to 5-0 in the 3rd and opened up a 7-0 lead in the 4th after another Shelton error and a two out RBI triple from Mambelli.
A pair of FSW walks in the circle allowed Shelton to get some traffic in the bottom of the 4th and the Lady Bucs cashed in with a two out bases clearing double to cut into the FSW lead and make it a 7-3 game after four complete.
Shelton scored their fourth unanswered run in the 5th on a sac fly to make it a 7-4 game and that is how the game went to the 7th after both sides went down in order in the 6th.
Faith Wharton pulled a single through the hole on the left side to drive home two and give the Bucs some breathing room, but they wouldn't need it as Leah Meyer finished what she started in the 7th and shut down the Lady Bucs to close out a 9-4 win for FSW.
The Bucs banged out 14 hits in the win with 10 different players collecting at least one hit for the Purple and Aqua. Wharton finished 2-4 with a pair of RBIs while Mambelli and Nicole Edmiaston each had two hits as well for FSW. Meyer went the distance in the circle, allowing eight hits and four runs while striking out five to earn her first win of the year.
FSW improves to 5-0 on the year with the victories.
The Bucs will wrap up their trip to the Heart of Dixie on Saturday when they take on Georgia Military and Central Alabama in a split doubleheader beginning at 11 AM.