May 22, 2025
Big Inning Pushes Bucs Past Chipola & Into the Final Four
In a rematch of the FCSAA Championship Game two weeks ago, the #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers used a seven run 2nd inning for a dominating 9-3 win over #22 Chipola on Thursday, punching the Bucs ticket to the NJCAA World Series Final Four for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
YUMA, Ariz.- In a rematch of the FCSAA Championship Game two weeks ago, the #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers used a seven run 2nd inning for a dominating 9-3 win over #22 Chipola on Thursday, punching the Bucs ticket to the NJCAA World Series Final Four for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
The Lady Indians cracked the scoreboard first, using a leadoff walk, an FSW error, and a sacrifice fly in the 2nd inning to take an early 1-0 lead on the Bucs.
FSW answered in a big way in the bottom of the inning as Kmari Williams laid down a perfect safety squeeze bunt to bring home a run and tie the game before back to back RBI singles from Noelani Livingstone and Skylar Brennan put the Bucs in front 4-1. Chipola went to the bullpen, but it provided little relief as the Bucs loaded the bases on a pair of free passes before a pair of wild pitches and a sac fly from Emily Allegood cleared the bases and make it 7-1 FSW after two.
The Bucs used some small ball to add to their lead in the 3rd as Faith Wharton was hit by a pitch and moved around the sacks on a pair of bunts before scoring on a sac fly from Brennan to make it 8-1 Bucs.
FSW starter Lizzy Kwakernaak cruised through the middle innings, working 1-2-3 frames in the 4th and 5th to keep the Bucs in front 8-1.
After two quick outs in the top of the 6th, the Indians finally got to Kwakernaak, breaking up her no-hit bid with a two run home run out to right to trim the Bucs lead to 8-3.
The Bucs added some insurance in the bottom of the inning as Allegood ripepd a two out single back up the middle to bring home a run and make it 9-3 and that is the way it would finish as Kwakernaak finished what she started, getting three straight pop ups in the 7th to close things out and give FSW a 9-3 win to advance on to the Final Four.
Kwakernaak fired a complete game, one hitter on just 68 pitches in the win, earning the victory for the Bucs to improve to 17-2 on the year. It was once again a group effort for the Bucs offense as all nine players in the lineup recorded a hit or scored a run. Allegood was 2-3 with a pair of RBIs while Livingstone and Williams each went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
FSW improves to 55-5 with their third win of the year over the Lady Indians while Chipola falls to 35-20.
The win punches the Bucs ticket to the World Series Final Four where they will take on another in-state foe in #3 Northwest Florida State in the tournament semifinals on Friday at 4 PM (ET).
It marks the fourth time in five years that FSW has advanced to the Final Four, the previous three times the Bucs went on to win the National Championship.
