April 5, 2022
Sardja Fires No Hitter, Haggard a Shutout as Bucs Sweep St. Pete
Belle Sardja threw the Bucs first no-hitter in over six years and Baylee Haggard tossed a shutout in game two of the doubleheader as the #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers dominated a Suncoast Conference twinbill Tuesday night against the St. Petersburg Titans as FSW took game one 8-0 and game two 9-0, both in run rule fashion to take a commanding lead atop the conference standings.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- Belle Sardja threw the Bucs first no-hitter in over six years and Baylee Haggard tossed a shutout in game two of the doubleheader as the #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers dominated a Suncoast Conference twinbill Tuesday night against the St. Petersburg Titans as FSW took game one 8-0 and game two 9-0, both in run rule fashion to take a commanding lead atop the conference standings.
In game one, Belle Sardja set the tone right away, needing just seven pitches to work a quick 1-2-3 top of the 1st and Caroline Figueroa drove home a run with a two out single to give the Bucs a quick 1-0 lead.
Back to back two out RBI singles by Sterre den Duijn and Laura Vigna in the 2nd upped the lead to 3-0 and FSW opened up a 7-0 lead on a two out, two run double from den Duijn to highlight a four run 3rd.
Sardja worked another quick frame in the top of the 4th and breezed through the 5th to keep the Bucs in front 7-0.
A leadoff double by Charlotte Drijvers set the table for the Bucs in the 5th and two batters later, a sacrifice fly from Pallas Potter brought her home and ended the game in an 8-0 run rule.
In the process of the makeshift walk off, the Bucs offense also did Sardja a favor, finishing off the righties no-hitter, the first for an FSW pitcher in over six years.
Sardja needed just 51 pitches to throw the program's second no-hitter as she allowed just two baserunners, one via a walk and the other via an FSW error, to improve to 7-2 on the year in the circle.
Den Duijn was the offensive star for the Bucs, going 2-2 with a double and three RBIs while Figueroa also collected a pair of knocks and scored and drove in a run.
It was more of the same in game two as this time it was Baylee Haggard retiring the side in order for the Bucs in the 1st and Feline Poot driving home a 1st inning run to give FSW a 1-0 lead after one.
A bullet to dead center off the bat of Shenita Tucker drove home two for the Bucs in the 2nd to extend the lead to 3-0 and Haggard made sure it remained that way through four.
St. Pete put two on without a hit in the 5th, but Haggard wiggled out of the Bucs first trouble of the day to keep it a 3-0 game.
McKenzie Wittenberg led off the FSW 5th with a solo shot to center to make it 4-0 and later in the inning Tucker singled through the box to bring home to more to push the lead to 7-0. After Tucker stole second to put the winning run 120 feet away, Poot crushed the first pitch she saw into the night for a two run shot for an impromptu walk off bomb to give the Bucs the game 9-0.
Haggard fired a two hit shutout to improve to 16-1 on the year in the circle. Tucker and Poot combined to drive in seven, Tucker going 2-3 with a triple and three RBIs while Poot was 1-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Wittenberg finished a perfect 2-2 with a home run as well in the win.
FSW runs their win streak to 10 with the victories, improving to 32-4 overall and 8-0 in Suncoast Conference play while St. Petersburg falls to 28-18 overall and 6-4 in league play.
The Bucs are back in action on Thursday when they travel to Winter Haven to take on Polk State in a conference doubleheader beginning at 4 PM.