February 18, 2024
Bucs Finish Series Sweep In Dramatic Fashion
Although they won both, the two games the #16 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers played against the St. Petersburg Titans couldn't have been much different Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers. In game one, starting pitcher Jordan Huskey dominated, throwing FSW's first complete game shutout in nearly three years in a 6-0 Bucs win while in game two FSW had to come back from an early 7-0 deficit, getting a two strike, two out, two run home run from Victor Figueroa in the 9th to send the game to extra innings before Nate Earley ripped a two run double to right to walk the Titans off in the 11th for a 13-12 Buccaneers win to finish off the sweep.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- Although they won both, the two games the #16 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers played against the St. Petersburg Titans couldn't have been much different Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers. In game one, starting pitcher Jordan Huskey dominated, throwing FSW's first complete game shutout in nearly three years in a 6-0 Bucs win while in game two FSW had to come back from an early 7-0 deficit, getting a two strike, two out, two run home run from Victor Figueroa in the 9th to send the game to extra innings before Nate Earley ripped a two run double to right to walk the Titans off in the 11th for a 13-12 Buccaneers win to finish off the sweep.
The Bucs wasted little time in jumping on the Titans in game one of the doubleheader as Nik Pereira remained red hot with an RBI single to center in the 1st and the Bucs added a second run on a St. Petersburg error to grab an early 2-0 advantage.
FSW starter Jordan Huskey punched out a pair in the 2nd and then again in the 3rd to keep it a 2-0 game and the Bucs added a run on a sacrifice fly from Nate Earley in the bottom of the 3rd to up their lead to 3-0.
St. Pete had their best scoring chance of the game in the 4th as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Huskey came up big again, getting a strikeout to avert any damage and keep FSW in front 3-0.
After two quick outs in the FSW 4th Michael McAloose walked to extend the inning and Bucs slugger Victor Figueroa took advantage, launching a towering home run over the right center field wall for a two run shot to pad the Bucs lead to 5-0.
In the 6th it was Jared Davis' turn to leave the yard as he smacked a solo shot to left to begin the inning to make it a 6-0 game in favor of FSW.
Huskey went out to finish what he started in the 7th and that he did, working around a leadoff single to keep his shutout intact, getting a pair of ground ball outs to end it and finish off the 6-0 win for the Bucs.
Huskey's complete game shutout was the first for an FSW pitcher since March 12, 2022 when now Cleveland Guardians farmhand Magnus Ellerts turned the trick against Hillsborough. Huskey scattered four hits to improve to 2-0 on the year while matching his career high with seven strikeouts.
Figueroa paced the Bucs offense, going 2-4 with a homer and two RBIs while Pereira pushed his RBI streak to six straight games with a pair knocked in.
To put it mildly, game two followed a bit different of a script.
Things got off to a rough start for the Bucs as three walks, a double, and a three run shot in the 1st allowed St. Petersburg to jump out to a 5-0 lead before FSW even got to hit for the first time.
Three more free passes from Bucs pitching in the 2nd , including one with the bases loaded gifted the Titans another run to make it 6-0 at the end of two innings of action.
St. Pete made it a 7-0 game in the 4th, scoring on a leadoff double and a sac fly to prompt a spirited discussion in the Bucs dugout at inning's end.
The Bucs started their march back in the 6th and didn't have to do much to do so as four St. Pete walks, including three straight, got FSW on the board without having to swing the bat and a groundout on the infield allowed their second run to score to make it a 7-2 game. Another walk loaded the bases and Davis was hit by a pitch to force a run home and make it a 7-3 contest with a three run inning for the Bucs without the benefit of a hit.
The Bucs continued to chip away in the 7th as McAloose launched a solo home run to begin the inning and Salvador Alvarez pulled a single through the left side to plate a run to make it 7-5. The inning looked like it would end there, but a St. Pete error allowed the Bucs third run of the inning to score to make it a 7-6 game and after Davis was hit by a pitch for the second straight inning, FSW had the bases loaded with two outs and the go ahead run in scoring position with pitcher Abel Albarran due up. The Bucs went to the bench for a pinch hitter, but a strikeout ended the frame as the Titans clung to a 7-6 lead at the end of seven complete innings of action.
With momentum on their side the Bucs needed a shutdown inning in the 8th but they couldn't get it as a pair of singles and a three run blast for the Titans cushioned their lead back to four and took the buzz out of Buccaneers Park for the time being.
Bucs reliever Ryan Grzesiak kept St. Pete right there in the 9th to give the Bucs at least a glimmer of a hope as they trailed 10-6 as the teams went to the bottom of the 9th .
The Bucs got their first run of the 9th on an RBI groundout from Josiah Velazquez, making him the first FSW pitcher in program history to record an RBI at the plate. McAloose followed him with an RBI single of his own to make it a 10-8 game to keep the train moving to bring up Figueroa as the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Figueroa found himself down 1-2 in the count, but it didn't change his approach as from there he put one of the most memorable swings together in Bucs Baseball history, drilling a pitch to dead center and out for a two run home run to send the FSW bench into a frenzy as they tied the game at 10 to send it to extra innings.
A pair of two out walks in the top of the 10th loaded the bases for St. Pete, but a fly ball to left was taken care of like a pro from Velazquez to end the inning and keep the game tied at 10.
The Bucs put a runner on, but couldn't move him in the 10th as the game remained deadlocked at 10 as the teams went to the 11th.
The Bucs looked like they had a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 11th but an error on the infield allowed the Titans to extend the inning and St. Pete made FSW pay with back to back two out hits including a two run double to the wall in center to break the 10 all tie and take a 12-10 lead.
Davis was hit by a pitch for the fourth time in the game to lead off the FSW 11th and McAloose stroked a single to right center to put the tying runs on. That set up Figueroa, the 9th inning hero as the game winning run as the Titans went to the bullpen to summond a southpaw to take on the left handed hitting slugger. Figueroa wouldn't get a chance to be the hero as he was hit by the first pitch he saw to load the bases and Justin Thomas was walked on four straight behind him to push a run across and make it a 12-11 game. With one out and the tying run 90 feet away and the game winning run 180 feet away, Nate Earley slammed a 1-1 pitch to right, bringing both runs home to complete the comeback and give the Bucs a 13-12 walk off winner.
The teams finished with 12 hits a side with McAloose registering a three hit game atop the FSW lineup and Earley and Alvarez each collecting two hits and two RBIs in the win. Figueroa finished just 1-3 officially, but walked three times and was hit by a pitch, driving in the game tying run in the 9th and scoring the game winning run in the 11th.
Grzesiak and Reyn Watson didn't factor into the decision on the mound for the Bucs but deserve mention as Watson kept the Bucs in it in the middle innings with five innings of one run baseball, striking out a career high eight while Grzesiak threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings to send the game to extras for the Bucs. Nate Ward picked up his first win as a Buc, going 1 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and two runs, both unearned, while punching out three.
FSW completes the sweep to run their season long win streak to seven as they improve to 10-5 overall and start their first season of Citrus Conference play 3-0. ST. Petersburg falls to 5-8 overall and 0-3 in league play with the sweep.
The Bucs will take the diamond again on Tuesday when they go to Lake Worth to battle Palm Beach in non-conference action before getting back into league play next Thuesday at home against Indian River in a 2 PM start.