March 2, 2024
Bucs Fly Past Falcons In Saturday Sweep
The #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers flew past the Daytona State Falcons Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers, nearly no hitting the Falcons in a 5-2 game one win before blanking them 8-0 in a five inning run rule in game two to complete the sweep of their new Citrus Conference foe.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The #3 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers flew past the Daytona State Falcons Saturday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers, nearly no hitting the Falcons in a 5-2 game one win before blanking them 8-0 in a five inning run rule in game two to complete the sweep of their new Citrus Conference foe.
The Bucs jumped on the Falcons right away in the 1st as Lea Chevrier threw a 1-2-3 top half of the inning and Sydney McCray used her wheels to burn around the bases and get the Bucs on the board in the bottom half to give FSW a quick 1-0 lead.
The Bucs went to the bullpen in the 3rd and Esmee Ames followed Chevrier's lead, retiring the Falcons in order in the 3rd and 4th frames to keep it a 1-0 game at the end of four innings of action.
FSW finally got the bats going again in the 5th as Sietske Drijvers doubled home a pair with two outs and then scored herself when Emily Allegood singled through the left side to make it 4-0. Two batters later Nicole Edmiaston kept the two out rally going with an RBI single to push the Bucs lead to 5-0 at the end of five.
Ames struck out a pair in a scoreless 6th and quickly sent the game to the 7th with FSW continuing to lead it 5-0.
Ames retired the first two hitters she faced in the 7th and put the Bucs just one out away from their second no hitter in as many weeks, but a Daytona flair to center broke up the no-no bid and two batters later, a two run double for the Falcons ended the Bucs shutout bid to make it a 5-2 game. Daytona brought the tying run into the on deck circle, but that is as close as she would get as Ames got a pop out to finish things off and seal up the 5-2 win for FSW.
The game wasn't as close as the final score as the Bucs outhit the Falcons 12-2 in the win. Drijvers finished 2-3 with three RBIs while both McCray and Maddy Golka recorded multi-hit games at the top of the order. Chevrier threw a pair of scoreless innings to begin the game before handing the ball over to Ames who went five innings allowing two hits and two runs to earn her seventh win of the season.
Game two began a whole lot like game one did as McCray was hit by a pitch to begin the FSW half of the 1st , stole second, and then scored on an RBI double from Drijvers to give the Bucs a quick 1-0 lead.
Bucs starter Emily Allegood struck out the side in the Daytona half of the 3rd and FSW took advantage of a Daytona error to score a pair in the bottom half of the frame to go ahead 3-0.
Another Daytona error in the 4th gifted the Bucs their fourth run of the game and Allegood worked out of a jam in the 5th to keep it a 4-0 game at the end of 4 1/2.
The Bucs put things away in the bottom of the 5th as Ella Moore singled the other way to drive in a pair and D'Yani McKinley stole home on a first and third play for the Bucs to make it 7-0.
FSW took advantage of a pair of walks in the bottom of the 6th to load the bases with nobody out and Virginia Mambelli wasted little time in ripping a single through the right side to drive home a run and kick in the run rule with the Bucs taking game two 8-0 in six.
Again the Bucs held a decisive advantage in the hits column, outhitting the Falcons 11-3 in the win. Drijvers was again the story offensively for the Bucs, going a perfect 3-3 with an RBI and a run scored while McCray was 1-2 with a pair of stolen bases and two runs scored in the win. Allegood went five scoreless innings, striking out five to improve to 3-0 on the year in the circle.
The Bucs sweep their third straight Citrus Conference series to begin conference play this week as they improve to 19-1 overall and 6-0 in league play. Daytona State falls to 8-10 overall and 1-5 in conference action.
The Bucs wins sets up a dream early season matchup Tuesday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers as #3 FSW will welcome #5 Indian River for a 1 PM doubleheader in a pair of teams with a combined 37-2 record this season.