Bucs Claim Big Series Opening Win Over Dade
Cole Greer fired six innings of one hit baseball and Jonah St. Antoine and Bishop Quarles homered as the #10 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers picked up a huge 8-1 series opening win over the Miami Dade Sharks Thursday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers to move to within one game of clinching a home playoff series in next week’s FCSAA Championships.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- Cole Greer fired six innings of one hit baseball and Jonah St. Antoine and Bishop Quarles homered as the #10 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers picked up a huge 8-1 series opening win over the Miami Dade Sharks Thursday afternoon at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers to move to within one game of clinching a home playoff series in next week's FCSAA Championships.
It was the defense for the Bucs that was up to the task early on as the FSW gloves turned double plays to end the 1st and 2nd innings to give their offense a chance to take the game's first lead.
The Bucs loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the 2nd before Cris Walley knocked in a run with a single through the right side and a double play allowed another run to score to make it 2-0 FSW after two.
Sporting a 2-0 lead, FSW starter Cole Greer was dialed in over the next two frames, firing 1-2-3 innings in the 3rd and 4th to keep the Bucs in front at the end of four.
Miami Dade scored their lone run of the day in the 5th, taking advantage of a leadoff walk to cut the Bucs lead in half at 2-1, but FSW answered right away as Jonah St. Antoine launched a two run homer to right and Walley drove home his second run of the day to quickly make it 5-1 Bucs midway through.
Greer closed out his outing with a perfect 6th before handing the ball over to Judd Hildreth out of the bullpen who followed suit in the 7th to keep it a 5-1 game at stretch time.
Miami Dade made some noise in the 8th, putting two on with one out, but Hildreth punched out the next two hitters to end the threat and keep the Bucs comfortably in front after 7 ½.
The Bucs added some insurance in the bottom of the 8th as Nick April-Gath cracked a two out double to drive home a run and Bishop Quarles drilled the next pitch out the other way for a two run shot to make it 8-1 FSW.
Elijah Coston came in to finish things off for the Bucs and left little doubt to who was going to win this one, working a quick 1-2-3 top of the 9th for FSW to close out a dominating 8-1 victory for the Purple and Aqua.
Greer went six innings, allowing just one hit and one run to earn the win to improve to a perfect 5-0 on the year. Walley and April-Gath paced the offense as Walley was 2-4 with a pair of RBIs and April-Gath was 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored at the top of the order.
FSW improves to 33-13 overall and more importantly 21-10 in Citrus Conference play with the win, climbing to within a half game of first place with two games left to go. Miami Dade falls to 30-17 overall and 19-11 in league action and will need a sweep Friday against the Bucs to clinch a home series for the upcoming FCSAA Championships.
The Bucs and Sharks will be back at it on Friday in Miami with a doubleheader beginning at 3 PM to close out the 2026 regular season.
