February 4, 2022
Tomaini's Extra Innings Blast Seals Bucs Win
Down to their final out in their first round game of the 2022 Perfect Game Juco Classic, the #15 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers drew a bases loaded walk to stay alive and then got a three run bomb from Paxton Tomaini in extra innings to defeat Chattahoochee Valley 8-6 to advance to the tournament's quarterfinal round Saturday.
PANAMA CITY, Fla.- Down to their final out in their first round game of the 2022 Perfect Game Juco Classic, the #15 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers drew a bases loaded walk to stay alive and then got a three run bomb from Paxton Tomaini in extra innings to defeat Chattahoochee Valley 8-6 to advance to the tournament's quarterfinal round Saturday.
Bucs starter Nicholas Regalado was locked in early on, cruising through his first two innings of work to give FSW a chance to take the game's first lead with a two out RBI single in the 3rd from Hunter Fitz-Gerald to make it 1-0.
Regalado spun two more scoreless to keep it a 1-0 game and the Bucs cushioned the big righties lead in the 5th with a sacrifice fly from Paxton Tomaini to make it 2-0.
Chattahoochee got on the board for the first time in the 5th against the FSW bullpen, but Ronny Medina answered right back for the Purple and Aqua, launching his third home run in the past two games to give the Bucs a two run lead once again at 3-1.
The Bucs lead was short-lived though as with two outs in the bottom of the 6th the Pirates loaded the bases and cleared them with one swing of the bat, turning a two run FSW lead into a two run Chatt Valley with one swing at 5-3.
In the shortened seven inning game, the Bucs were quickly down to their final three outs of the day. With their backs to the wall, the FSW bats responded as the first two hitters of the frame reached base before an RBI single from Matthew Corpas made it a one run game at 5-4. A walk loaded the bases with one out, but an infield fly kept the equalizer off the board for the time being. With just one out to play with and the tying run 90 feet away, the Bucs took advantage of a four pitch walk by the Pirates to push a run home and tie the game at 5.
With ice in his veins, Ben Petschke came in out of the FSW bullpen and worked a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the 7th, keeping the game tied and sending it to extra innings deadlocked at 5.
The extra frame began with a runner on second base and a walk put two on with nobody out. A failed double steal attempt cut down the go ahead run at third, but another free pass by Pirate pitching put two on once again, this time with one down in the frame. After jumping ahead 2-0 in the count, Tomaini took the biggest swing of his young FSW career, launching the third pitch he saw out to right for a three run shot to give the Bucs an 8-5 lead.
The placed runner scored against Petschke in the 8th, but that was all as he got a big strikeout and then a groundout to Corpas at second to end it as the Bucs hung on to win 8-6 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The Bucs finished with just six hits in the win, but took advantage of four Pirate errors and 10 free passes to score their eight runs.
Tomaini was the hero, going 2-4 with a homer and four RBIs while Kendry Noriega walked and scored three times atop the FSW lineup.
Regalado went four shutout innings and allowed just one hit while striking out five in his first start of the year while Petschke went two innings and allowed just one hit to earn his first win of the year.
The Bucs remain unbeaten on the year at 6-0 while Chattahoochee Valley falls to 2-2.
FSW moves on to the tournament's quarterfinal round where they will take on #18 Florence-Darlington Tech Saturday morning at 10:30 (CST).