April 13, 2021
Bucs Stretch Win Streak to 15
The top ranked Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers continued to roll over whomever decides to get in their way Tuesday night at City of Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers, hammering the visiting State College of Florida Manatees 8-0 and 6-1 in a doubleheader to run their season long win streak to 15 games.
FORT MYERS, Fla.- The top ranked Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers continued to roll over whomever decides to get in their way Tuesday night at City of Palms Park in Downtown Fort Myers, hammering the visiting State College of Florida Manatees 8-0 and 6-1 in a doubleheader to run their season long win streak to 15 games.
Taylor Jensen got the Bucs going early in game one, launching a solo home run over the wall in left to give FSW a 1-0 lead in the 2nd.
Alyssa O'Donnell worked a quick 1-2-3 top half of the 3rd for the Bucs and they were swinging it again when they came to the dugout for the bottom half of the frame.
Rebeca Laudino got things going with a bunt single and two batters later Natavia Ellis drove her home with a single to make it 2-0. A Manatee error allowed the Bucs third run of the game to score and with two outs in the inning Chelsea Brown touched one off to left for two run bomb to make it 5-0 FSW after three.
A leadoff double from Ellis and sacrifice fly from Feline Poot in the 5th pushed the Bucs lead to 6-0 and FSW finished the Manatees off in the 6th as Eliska Stejkalova smacked an RBI double to make it 7-0 and Ellis drove her home with a bullet to left to kick in the run rule in an 8-0 FSW win.
O'Donnell shined in the circle, spinning a complete game shutout, allowing just one hit while striking out seven. Ellis led the offense with a three hit game while Stejkalova and Janessa Plummer each had two hits.
The Manatees took advantage of an FSW error in the 1st inning of game two to score their first and only run of the day to take an early 1-0 lead.
FSW answered right back in the bottom half of the frame though, as Laudino was hit by a pitch to start the inning and motored around the bases until Lindsey Corbin drove her in with a ground ball to even the score at 1.
With one out in the 3rd, Laudino laid down another one of her patented perfect bunts down the third base line and in the process became the FSW all-time hits leader, taking the title from former Bucs All-American and current FSW coach Marta Fuentes with her 187th career knock.
The Bucs broke the 1-1 tie in the 4th when Brown ripped a double to the wall in center to drive home Poot who started the inning with a two bagger of her own to make it 2-1. Later in the frame Charlotte Drijvers walked with the bases loaded to force home a run and make it 3-1.
Sarah Clontz came out of the FSW bullpen and kept it right there until the Bucs plated three in the 6th to stretch their lead to 6-1.
Emily Perrin took over in the circle in the 7th for the Bucs and closed the Manatees out with three straight strikeouts to complete the sweep for FSW in a 6-1 win.
The Bucs outhit SCF 10-3 in the win, getting hits from 10 different players in the process. Clontz upped her season mark to 7-0 in the circle, earning the win by tossing four shutout innings and allowing just one hit while striking out five.
The win all but seals up a fifth straight Suncoast Conference Championship for the Bucs who now, for all intents and purposes, have a five game lead with six left to play in the conference season. FSW extends their winning streak to 15 straight while improving to 32-3 overall and a perfect 13-0 in conference action. State College of Florida drops to 13-16-1 overall and 6-8 in league play where they trail St. Petersburg by 3 1/2 games for the final playoff spot to come out of the league.
The Bucs will have a chance to clinch the conference crown on Thursday on the road at Polk State when they take on the Eagles in a doubleheader beginning at 5 PM.