SANFORD, Fla.- A late stumble in game one of their Citrus Conference doubleheader against the #8 Seminole State Raiders cost the #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers a 7-5 loss before bouncing back for a 6-1 win in game two to split the Top 10 matchup with the Raiders. 

 

Things got off to an inauspicious start for the Bucs in game one as the first four Seminole hitters of the bottom of the 1^st inning reached base, with three of them eventually scoring to give the Raiders a quick 3-0 advantage after an inning of play. 

 

Seminole added to their lead in the 3rd, taking advantage of a one out walk to extend their lead to 4-0 as the teams went to the 4th. 

 

The Bucs finally got their offense going in the 4^th as Megan Veilleux knocked home a pair with a two run double to cut the Raiders lead in half at 4-2. 

 

FSW reliever McKenzie Bailey-McDowell gave the Bucs a big zero in the bottom of the inning and the Bucs put together a two out rally in the top of the 5^th to score twice and tie the score at 4. 

 

The Bucs caught a break in the bottom of the 5^th as Seminole loaded the bases with nobody out, but weren't able to score after a runner was tagged out trying to advance home on a wild pitch before a pop up on the infield and a groundout ended the threat and kept the score tied at 4 after five complete. 

 

It looked like the game was going to go to the 7^th still tied, but after going two up, two down in the bottom of the 6th, Seminole got back to back two out singles to put some pressure on the Bucs and a three run home run to dead center put the Raiders ahead 7-4 in the blink of an eye. 

 

Down to their last out of the game, the Bucs brought the tying run to the plate after an RBI double from Emily Allegood, but it wasn't meant to be on this day as a pop out to the catcher ended the game as Seminole finished off the 7-5 upset win. 

 

Nicole Edmiaston and Skylar Brennan led the Bucs offense as Edmiaston finished 3-4 with an RBI while Brennan was 2-3 with two runs scored. Marissa Wilkinson took the loss in the circle, allowing her first earned runs of the season after 10 straight appearances holding a 0.00 ERA. 

 

 

Drawing the start in the circle for the second straight game, Leah Meyer fared much better in game two than she did in her brief game one start, firing three straight scoreless innings to begin game two. Unfortunately for Meyer and the Bucs, the FSW offense went in order in each of their first three innings at the plate as the game breezed to the 4^th scoreless. 

 

The Bucs finally broke through in the top of the 4^th as Noelani Livingstone doubled to begin the frame for FSW's first baserunner of the contest before Virginia Mambelli drove her in with a sacrifice fly to left to give the Bucs a 1-0 lead. 

 

Meyer pitched around a Seminole double for the third time in four innings in the 4^th and stranded a pair in the 5^th to keep it a 1-0 game in favor of the Bucs. 

 

Brennan doubled the Bucs lead with one swing of the bat in the 6^th, launching a solo home run out to right with one out in the inning to make it a 2-0 game in favor of FSW. 

 

Seminole got on the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the 6^th, but Meyer left the tying run at second at inning's end to keep the Bucs in front 2-1 as the teams went to the 7^th.  

 

Giorgiana Woods came through with a clutch two out, pinch hit two run single for the Bucs in the 7^th to give them some breathing room and back to back RBI singles from Livingstone and Brennan added two more to make it 6-1 FSW after 6 1/2. 

 

The Bucs gave the Raiders an extra out with a two out error in the bottom of the 7^th, but it wouldn't come back to hurt them as Meyer finished what she started, getting a groundout on the infield to seal up a 6-1 victory to split the doubleheader. 

 

The Bucs outhit the Raiders 9-5 in the win with Livingstone going 2-4 with two runs scored at the top of the order and Brennan going 3-4 with a homer and two RBIs behind her.  Meyer improved to 12-0 on the year in the circle, going the distance and scattering five hits and allowing just one run while dialing up seven strikeouts for FSW. 

 

 

The split snaps a 10 game winning streak for the Bucs as they drop just their second game of the year, moving to 36-2 overall and 22-2 in Citrus Conference play. Seminole sees their record go to 31-11 overall and 14-9 in league action. 

 

The Bucs are right back at it tomorrow as they continue their trip to the Space Coast to take on #10 Daytona State in doubleheader action beginning at 1 PM.