May 24, 2025
Bucs Have Forgettable Debut at World Series
It was a night of highs and lows for the #6 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers on Saturday under the bright lights of Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction as the Bucs had the high of taking the field in the Juco World Series for the first time in program history, but the result was on the opposite side of history as FSW was hammered 16-2 by #15 Salt Lake, their most lopsided loss in program history.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.- It was a night of highs and lows for the #6 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers on Saturday under the bright lights of Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction as the Bucs had the high of taking the field in the Juco World Series for the first time in program history, but the result was on the opposite side of history as FSW was hammered 16-2 by #15 Salt Lake, their most lopsided loss in program history.
After the first two innings of action it looked like the Bucs and Bruins were settling in for a rare pitcher's duel in the mountain air, but that soon changed as Salt Lake took advantage of a pair of walks with back to back two out doubles to break the scoreless tie and take a 3-0 lead after 2 ½ innings of action.
Salt Lake returned the favor in the bottom of the 3rd, giving FSW a pair of free passes to start the inning before Luke Orfi hit a ball with eyes back up the middle to bring home a run and get the Bucs on the board to cut the Bruin lead to 3-1 after three.
Any momentum the Bucs may have grabbed back in the 3rd went right back to the side of the Bruins in the 4th as two more two out walks, a single to left and a balk with the bases loaded plated three more for the visitors to open their lead to 6-1.
Salt Lake continued to pack on the runs in the 5th with two runs on two hits while benefitting from an FSW error to make it an 8-1 game.
It was more two out magic for the Bruins in the 6th as the Bucs walked the bases loaded before a single back up the middle scored another to make it 9-1.
The Bucs couldn't get anything going offensively, going down in order in the 6th with a pair of strikeouts to remain down big into the 7th.
The wheels fell off for the Bucs in the 7th as Salt Lake scored four runs without putting the ball in play as three FSW pitchers combined for four walks, two hit batters, and two wild pitches to make their hole deeper at 13-1. Before was all said and done in the 7th it was seven runs on just two hits for the Bruins to blow their lead open to 16-1.
A single and two walks loaded the bases for the Bucs in the bottom of the 7th before another freebie forced a run home, but that's all she wrote for the Purple and Aqua as they fell 16-2 in a seven inning run rule.
Carlos Sanchez had two of the three Bucs hits in the loss, finishing 2-3 with a double and a stolen base. Bucs pitching walked 14 and hit three others on the night with Cole Greer suffering the loss on the mound, yielding 8 hits and 6 runs in 3 2/3 innings to fall to 6-3 on the year.
The 14 run defeat is the largest in program history as FSW falls to 44-16 on the year while Salt Lake wins their 15th straight to improve to 44-10.
The Bucs won't have much time to lick their wounds as they will be right back at it Sunday night at 9:00 PM (ET) in an elimination game against the defending National Champion Blinn Buccaneers with the season on the line for both sides.