February 17, 2026
Bucs Bats Batter Bobcats
The #2 Florida SouthWestern Buccaneers put together an unrelenting offensive attack against the Pasco-Hernando Bobcats Tuesday night in New Port Richey, hammering out 27 hits in a 14-2, 10-1 sweep in their final non-conference tuneup before Citrus Conference play begins this weekend.
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla.- The #2 Florida SouthWestern Buccaneers put together an unrelenting offensive attack against the Pasco-Hernando Bobcats Tuesday night in New Port Richey, hammering out 27 hits in a 14-2, 10-1 sweep in their final non-conference tuneup before Citrus Conference play begins this weekend.
Stephanie Basso got the hit parade started for the Bucs, belting a solo shot out to left in the 2nd inning of game one to give FSW an early 1-0 lead.
The Bucs blew game one open in the 3rd as their first five hitters of the inning reached base including RBI knocks from Lizzy Kwakernaak and Noelani Livingstone to go ahead 4-0. Later in the inning back to back bases loaded walks made it 6-0 and the Bucs would add five more runs in the inning to blow the game open to 11-0 after 2 1/2.
Pasco got their first runs of the day in the bottom of the 3rd, but the Bucs answered right away as Emma Rose Payette and Abbie Shellabarger ripped back to back RBI doubles and later in the inning Kelli Fuller lined a single to left to bring home Shellabarger to make it a 14-2 game.
Bucs hurler Charlotte Graham took it from there, sitting down the side against the Bobcats in the 4th and 5th frames to wrap things up as the Bucs went on to win it 14-2 in a five inning run rule.
FSW hammered out 16 hits in the win. Kaitlyn Klismith and Shellabarger both went 3-3 at bookends of the FSW lineup while Basso finished 2-3 with a homer and three runs scored. Graham went the distance in the circle, allowing just three hits and striking out seven to improve to 3-0 on the year.
The Bucs didn't waste any time jumping on the Bobcats in game two as Makayla Jakubuwski and Valeria Vazquez drove home runs while another FSW tally scored on a Pasco error to give the Bucs a quick 3-0 lead in the 1st.
Shellabarger continued her big day with a two run single in the 2nd to make it a 5-0 game and solo homer from Basso in the 3rd extended the Bucs lead to 6-0.
The teams traded runs in the 4th and the Bucs got another run in the 5th on an RBI single from Kaylee Walker to make it an 8-1 game.
Shellabarger knocked home two more with a single to right in the 6th to make it 10-1 and Giorgiana Woods came on out of the Bucs bullpen to finish things off from there, putting up a zero in the bottom of the 6th to close out a 10-1 run rule win for the Bucs to sweep the doubleheader.
Eight different FSW players picked up a hit in the win led by Hailey Turner who went 3-3 with three runs scored at the bottom of the lineup. Shellabarger wrapped up a monster day going 2-2 with four RBIs in game two to finish the day 5-5 with six RBIs. Alexandra Solo was the beneficiary of the offense, going five innings and striking out six to earn her first collegiate victory in the circle.
FSW runs their win streak to eight with the victories as they improve to 14-2 on the year while Pasco-Hernando remains winless at 0-6.
The Bucs now turn their attention to Citrus Conference action where they will begin play on Friday on the road in Daytona when they take on the Daytona State Falcons in two beginning at 1 PM.