April 24, 2025
Bucs Blitz Polk in Citrus Sweep
Don't look now, but the #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers are getting hot at the right time. The Bucs pushed their winning streak to six on Thursday, hammering the visiting Polk State Eagles 8-0 and 8-1 in a doubleheader sweep at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers to improve to 45-5 on the year and move to within one win of claiming their ninth straight Conference Championship.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- Don't look now, but the #2 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers are getting hot at the right time. The Bucs pushed their winning streak to six on Thursday, hammering the visiting Polk State Eagles 8-0 and 8-1 in a doubleheader sweep at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers to improve to 45-5 on the year and move to within one win of claiming their ninth straight Conference Championship.
The Bucs wasted little time on jumping on the Eagles right away in game one as Skylar Brennan slammed a double down the left field line and scored on an RBI single from Nicole Edmiaston to give FSW a 1-0 lead just four batters into the bottom of the 1st. One batter later Emily Allegood added on for the Bucs, crushing a two run triple off the wall in left center to bump their lead to 3-0 after one.
The Bucs added to their lead in the 3rd when Edmiaston launched her second homer of the year deep and out to left center to pad the Bucs lead to 4-0.
FSW starter Leah Meyer fired a 1-2-3 top of the 4th with a pair of strikeouts to keep her shutout intact and her offense doubled her lead in the bottom of the frame as Kmari Williams and Noelani Livingstone picked up back to back RBI knocks before the Bucs added two more on later in the inning to make it 8-0 Bucs after four.
Marissa Wilkinson came in from the Bucs bullpen in the 5th and finished things off, retiring the Eagles in order on just five pitches to close things out and wrap up an 8-0 run rule win for FSW.
Meyer improved to 16-1 on the year with the win, throwing four shutout frames, allowing just one hit, an infield single, in the process. Edmiaston had a monster game, going 3-3 with a home run and three RBIs while Livingstone and Brennan both recorded two hits at the top of the Bucs lineup.
It was dejavu in game two as once again it was FSW striking first, this time with two 1st inning runs on an RBI single from Virginia Mambelli and another on a Polk State error to get the Bucs out to a 2-0 advantage.
Bucs catcher Faith Wharton made sure the score stayed right there, gunning down would be baserunners in the 3rd and 4th innings to keep it a 2-0 game after four.
Polk finally cracked the scoreboard in the 5th, getting a two out single back up the middle to bring home a run and cut the Bucs lead in half to 2-1.
The Bucs got the run back and then some in the bottom half of the frame as Allegood cracked an RBI double to the gap and Wharton singled home a pair with two outs to extend their lead to 6-1.
FSW continued to pad their lead in the 6th as Brennan doubled to the wall in left to bring home a run to make it 7-1 and later in the inning Katey McGee drove home a run with a groundout to extend the lead to 8-1.
Polk put a runner on in the 7th but she remained stranded at inning's end as FSW reliever Lizzy Kwakernaak punched out a pair to close things out and finish off the 8-1 win for the Bucs.
McKenzie Bailey-McDowell earned the win in the circle, going 5 2/3 innings, scattering six hits and allowing just one run to improve to 6-1 on the year. Kwakernaak went 1 1/3 without allowing a hit or a run to finish things off. Brennan and Allegood both smacked a pair of doubles in the win while Livingstone notched her third straight multi-hit game at the top of the order.
The Bucs run their win streak to six, improving to 45-5 overall on the year. They bump their Citrus Conference record to 31-5 where they are now just one win away from clinching their ninth straight Conference Championship. Polk's chances at a winning season were dashed with the sweep as they fall to 27-30 overall and 14-24 in conference action in the defeats.
FSW plays for the final time at home during the 2025 season on Saturday when they host #17 Eastern Florida on Sophomore Day at the park. The Bucs will honor their eight sophomores prior to their 1 PM start of game one of the doubleheader.