February 25, 2025
Bucs Blow out Hawks In Citrus Openers
The freshly ranked #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers put on a show in their Citrus Conference openers on Tuesday, hammering the Hillsborough Hawks 9-0 and 16-2 in a pair of run rules to remain perfect on the year at 16-0.
TAMPA, Fla.- The freshly ranked #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers put on a show in their Citrus Conference openers on Tuesday, hammering the Hillsborough Hawks 9-0 and 16-2 in a pair of run rules to remain perfect on the year at 16-0.
Game one was full of crooked numbers for the Bucs as they plated four in the 2nd on RBI singles from Noelani Livingstone and Lizzy Kwakernaak and a double from Megan Veilleux to take an early 4-0 lead in the ballgame.
There was more traffic for the Bucs in the 3rd as Livingstone drove in her second run in as many innings with a single to right and she scored after swiping second and third before trotting home on a groundout from Kwakernaak to make it 6-0 FSW.
Bucs starter Zoe Yzaguirre struck out a pair in a scoreless bottom fo the 3rd to keep it a 6-0 game and it remained that way through the middle innings and to the 6th.
The Bucs padded their lead to 9-0 in the 6th as Faith Wharton cracked her second double of the day to drive home a run followed by RBI singles from Makayla Jakubuwski and Brooklyn Scott.
Marissa Wilkinson did the rest for the Bucs, working a 1-2-3 bottom of the 6th to close things out and put it in the books for FSW in a 9-0 run rule victory.
The Bucs banged out 14 hits in the win while Yzaguirre and two relievers limited the Hawks to just three in the shutout victory. Yzaguirre improves to 6-0 on the year in the circle with the win while Wilkinson fires her 13th inning without allowing an earned run to finish things off. Livingstone led the offense going a perfect 3-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a pair of stolen bases to boot. Kwakernaak was 2-3 with four runs created behind her while Wharton went 2-3 with a pair of doubles in the win.
The Bucs jumped on the Hawks right away in game two and never looked back. Livingstone ripped a triple on the fifth pitch of the game and from there is was four straight walks to force her and another teammate home to give the Bucs a 2-0 lead. Megan Veilleux crushed a triple to the wall to clear thee bases and make it a 5-0 game before the Bucs first out and she scored on a groundout from Kwakernaak to give FSW a 6-0 lead after a half inning of play.
Hillsborough scored their first runs of the day in the bottom of the 1st as they took advantage of a pair of free passes from FSW pitching to plate a pair and trim the Bucs lead to 6-2 after an exciting first inning of action.
The Bucs continued to pile on in the 3rd as Jakubuwski and Skylar Brennan ripped RBI singles to make it 8-2 and Virginia Mambelli knocked home two more on a double to the gap to open up a 10-2 advantage for the Purple and Aqua. They weren't done yet as Nicole Edmiaston got in on the act with an RBI double and Jakubuwski notched her second RBI single of the inning to blow it open to 13-2 at the end of three.
The lone home run of the Bucs 25 run day came in the 5th when Karolina Dvorakova blasted a three run shot to left to make it 16-2 and that is the way it would end as Wilkinson closed things out with a 1-2-3 frame to give the Bucs a 16-2 run rule victory in five.
Veilleux led the way, going 2-3 with three runs scored and four RBIs while Dvorakova was 2-3 with two runs scored and three knocked in. Kwakernaak earned the win in the circle with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball to improve to 2-0 on the year.
The Bucs remain unbeaten at 16-0 overall with the sweep while beginning Citrus Conference action 2-0. Hillsborough's early season struggles continue as they fall to 1-11 overall and 0-2 in league play.
The Bucs are back in action on Thursday when they return home to Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers for a 1 PM doubleheader against #10 Seminole State.