Big Innings Lead Bucs Over Pioneers to Clinch Series
It was a day of crooked numbers for the #6 Florida SouthWestern Buccaneers on Saturday as they put up seven innings of two or more runs in a doubleheader sweep of the Indian River Pioneers to win their fourth straight Citrus Conference series win to begin the 2026 season.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- It was a day of crooked numbers for the #6 Florida SouthWestern Buccaneers on Saturday as they put up seven innings of two or more runs in a doubleheader sweep of the Indian River Pioneers to win their fourth straight Citrus Conference series win to begin the 2026 season.
The Bucs got off to a quick start as Nick April-Gath singled to begin the FSW 1st and Bishop Quarles doubled behind him before both scored on the same wild pitch to give the Bucs a 2-0 lead.
A solo home run for the Pioneers to begin the 2nd got Indian River on the board but Robbie Demetree responded with a solo shot of his own to lead off the FSW 2nd before a two out, two run single from Jonah St. Antoine made it 5-1 Bucs after two.
The Bucs wiggled out of a jam in the 4th to keep the lead and both teams went down in order in the 5th to keep it a 5-1 game after five.
Bucs reliever Nicholas Lorenz posted his second straight zero in the top of the 6th and the Bucs put things out of reach in the bottom of the inning as Evan Taveras earned a bases loaded walk and Andy Perez shot a two run single the other way to open it up to 8-1 before FSW finished things off 8-2 in the 7th.
Six different Bucs had hits in the win with Perez and St. Antoine driving in two runs each. Anthony Wilkie earned the win on the mound, going four innings and allowing just two hits and one run to improve to 5-1 on the year while Lorenz nailed down a pair of big zeroes out of the FSW bullpen.
#6 FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN/INDIAN RIVER GAME ONE BOX SCORE
Game two started with some fireworks as Indian River scored two quick runs in the top of the 1st to take their first lead of the day before FSW answered back in the bottom of the inning with three on a bases clearing double from Elijah Coston to put the Bucs in front 3-2 after one.
The Bucs added to their lead in the 2nd with some more two out magic as Quarles doubled and St. Antoine knocked him in with a single to make it 4-2 Bucs after two.
After a brief rain relay, Indian River came out and put up a run in the 3rd to make it a one run game, but the Bucs answered back with two in the bottom of the inning on back to back RBI singles from Demetree and Greg Caban to pad the lead back to 6-3.
The 4th was the only inning of the game that didn't feature any runs as FSW opened things up in the 5th thanks to some sloppy play by the Pioneers as they plated five runs on just two hits to make it 11-3 FSW after five.
Indian River made things interesting, plating one in the 6th and two more in the 7th to get back into the game at 11-6 at stretch time.
With rain once again falling and light fading quickly Cris Walley shot a single the other way to bring home a run before Aiden Talarico crushed a three run home run through the rain drops to bring the game to an end as the run rule kicked in after seven with FSW winning it 15-6 to clinch the series.
Quarles was the offensive star for the Bucs in the win, going 2-3 with a pair of RBIs and four runs scored. Talarico and Coston each picked up three RBIs on one swing in the middle of the order. Sterling Bass was the winner on the mound for the Bucs, going two scoreless innings with a pair of punchouts to pick up his first career victory.
#6 FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN/INDIAN RIVER GAME TWO BOX SCORE
The Bucs come back to win the series after dropping Thursday's opener to improve to 19-6 overall and 9-3 in Citrus Conference play, good for first place after four conference series. Indian River's struggles continue as the Pioneers fall to 10-13 overall and 3-9 in league play after the Saturday sweep.
The Bucs are back in action on Tuesday at home at Buccaneers Park when they host DII #1 Pasco-Hernando in a 3 PM first pitch in Fort Myers.