May 4, 2025
Bucs Score Nine Unanswered to Win Fort Myers Regional
As the old adage goes, it's not how you start, it's how you finish and thankfully for the #7 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers on Sunday that couldn't have been more true. FSW fell behind Pensacola State 3-0 after an inning and a half of their winner take all game three of the Fort Myers Regional before storming back with nine unanswered runs to win it 9-3 and punch their ticket to the FCSAA Championships Final Four in back to back years for the first time in program history.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- As the old adage goes, it's not how you start, it's how you finish and thankfully for the #7 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers on Sunday that couldn't have been more true. FSW fell behind Pensacola State 3-0 after an inning and a half of their winner take all game three of the Fort Myers Regional before storming back with nine unanswered runs to win it 9-3 and punch their ticket to the FCSAA Championships Final Four in back to back years for the first time in program history.
Things couldn't have gotten off to much of a worse start for the Bucs as their first eight pitches in the top of the 1st were out of the zone and a double steal and a single later they were down 2-0 before they recorded their first out of the game.
After three straight ground ball outs in the bottom of the 1st for the Bucs, Pensacola extended their lead in the 2nd, using an infield single, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and a groundout to make it a 3-0 game at the end of two.
The Bucs cracked the scoreboard for the first time in the 3rd as Luke Orfi walked to begin the frame and moved to second on another free pass before a stolen base and an RBI groundout from Ty Hamilton cut the Pensacola lead to 3-1.
FSW continued their comeback in the 4th , getting things going with a pair of walks once again before Michael McAloose drilled a two out, two run double into the left field corner to level the score at 3 at the end of four.
Bucs starter Cole Greer worked his first clean inning of the game in the 5th, striking out a pair to keep momentum on the side of the Purple and Aqua and keeping the game tied at 3 midway through.
The Bucs continued to have traffic on the bases in the 5th, putting runners on the corners with one out, but a 4-6-3 double play ended the threat and kept the game tied at 3 as the teams went to the 6th.
Greer continued to roll in the 6th for the Bucs, striking out the side to rack his game total up to a dozen as the game remained deadlocked at 3.
The Bucs took their first lead of the game in the 6th as they loaded the bases with nobody out before McAloose just missed a grand slam and settled for a sacrifice fly to put FSW in front 4-3. Devin Parks pinch hit for the Bucs and came through with an RBI single through the left side to bump the FSW advantage to 5-3 at the end of six.
Pensacola threatened in the 7th , loading the bases with two outs, but Bucs reliever Nicholas Lorenz, with the help of some defense from McAloose and Jake Mueller, got out of the jam and kept FSW in front 5-3 at stretch time.
Two free passes set the Bucs up in business again in the bottom of the 7th and Orfi cashed the runners in with a rocket double to left to plate two and make it 7-3 FSW at the end of seven.
Lorenz remained locked in in the 8th, retiring the Pirates in order with a pair of strikeouts to keep the Bucs in front and the FSW offense rewarded their righthander with some insurance in the bottom of the inning as McAloose continued his big day with a solo home run to left and Anthony Ruocco hit a sac fly to drive home Parks who tripled behind the McAloose long ball to make it 9-3 Buccaneers.
With the Pirates backed into the corner and their season on the line, Lorenz didn't give them a glimmer of hope in the 9th as he sat them down 1-2-3 to close them out and send the Bucs to the Final Four with a 9-3 victory.
After the slow start, Greer and Lorenz were lights out for the Bucs on the mound, putting up seven straight zeros after allowing three runs in the first two frames. Greer gutted out six innings, striking out 12, the most by an FSW pitcher since the beginning of the 2023 season, to earn the victory to improve to 5-2 on the year. Lorenz fired his eighth straight scoreless appearance, going three innings and striking out five to earn his second save of the campaign.
McAloose was the offensive star, going 2-2 with a homer and four RBIs for FSW while Parks was 2-2 off the bench and Orfi reached base three times and drove in a pair of runs.
The Bucs improve to 41-14 with the series win while Pensacola sees their season come to an end with a 27-21 record.
FSW advances to the FCSAA Championships Final Four for the second straight season, making it the first time in program history to reach the semifinals in back to back years. The Bucs are also the only team in the FCSAA to make a return trip to the Final Four this season after Northwest Florida and Indian River were upset in the Regional round this weekend and Chipola failed to qualify for the tournament in 2025.
The Bucs move onto the Final Four where they will take on Citrus Conference rival #25 State College of Florida in the opening game on Friday at 1 PM at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte.