Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back to Back; Bucs Clinch 10th Straight Conference Championship in Sweep
In 1789 Benjamin Franklin famously said "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes". Those two things remain true, but if that quote came 225 years later, he would have included the Florida SouthWestern Softball team winning a Conference Championship as Tuesday, the Buccaneers swept Hillsborough, clinching their unprecedented 10th consecutive conference title.
TAMPA, Fla.- In 1789 Benjamin Franklin famously said "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes". Those two things remain true, but if that quote came 225 years later, he would have included the Florida SouthWestern Softball team winning a Conference Championship as Tuesday, the Buccaneers swept Hillsborough, clinching their unprecedented 10th consecutive conference title.
The scoring was early and often for the Bucs in game one of the doubleheader as back to back RBI singles from Emma-Rose Payette and Stephanie Basso had FSW in front 3-0 just five batters into the game. The Bucs would add one more in the 1st and two in the 2nd to take a commanding 6-0 lead at the end of two innings of action.
The Bucs continue to pour it on in the 3rd as Makayla Jakubuwski singled through the right side to drive home a run and later in the inning a pair of wild pitches allowed runs to score to make it 20-0 FSW.
Hillsborough got their first hit of the game in the 3rd but it didn't lead to anything while the Bucs added four more in the 4th, highlighted by an RBI single from Abbie Shellabarger to open up a 13-0 lead for FSW midway through.
The Hawks put their only runs of the game on the board in the bottom of the 4th, but FSW immediately answered with two of their own in the 5th on RBIs from Mikan Nishiya and Keeli Fuller to stretch their lead to 15-2.
Giorgiana Woods worked around a one out walk in the bottom of the 5th to close things out for the Bucs in the circle as FSW took game one in five 15-2.
The Bucs outhit the Hawks 12-3 in the contest with 11 different players recording a hit for FSW in the win. Thaima Maximiliana scored three times for the Bucs while Lizzy Kwakernaak was 2-2 with a pair of runs scored. Charlotte Graham earned the win in the circle, throwing three shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six to improve to 11-1 on the year.
#1 FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN/HILLSBOROUGH GAME ONE BOX SCORE
It was more of the same as game two got underway as FSW raced out to a 5-0 lead after half inning of play as Noelani Livingstone laced an RBI triple, Emma-Rose Payette doubled to drive her in, and later in the frame Jakubuwski and Kwakernaak drove in runs to give the Bucs an early advantage.
Alexandra Solo fired a 1-2-3 bottom of the 1st for the Bucs in the circle and the FSW offense padded the lead in the top of the 2nd as Livingstone ripped her second extra base hit in the first two innings with an RBI double to the wall in center to make it 6-0 FSW after two.
Solo continued to cruise in the 3rd, pitching around a leadoff walk with a pair of strikeouts to keep her shutout intact into the 4th.
The Bucs continued to pour it on in the 4th as Valeria Vazquez drove home a run and another scored on a wild pitch to extend the FSW lead to 9-0.
With the result of the contest all but determined, the only thing left in question was if the Hawks were going to squeak out a hit against Solo and after working a 1-2-3 bottom of the 4th, Hillsborough was down to their final three outs to try to do anything against the Bucs freshman.
A strikeout started the Hillsborough half of the 5th before an FSW error put a runner on with one out. A pop out in foul territory put Solo within one out of her second no-hitter of the season against the Hawks and she completed the trick with a groundout on the infield to finish it off in a 9-0 run rule victory for the Bucs.
Solo went the distance, firing her second no-hitter of the year against Hillsborough, striking out six in the process to improve to 7-0 on the year. Her offense backed her with an 11 hit attack led by Livingstone who went 2-2 with a double, a triple, and two RBIs.
#1 FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN/HILLSBOROUGH GAME TWO BOX SCORE
FSW clinches their 10th consecutive Conference Championship with the victories, this year in a runaway as they lead the league standings by eight games with four games left to go.
The Bucs push their winning streak to 22 games, improving to 47-5 overall and 33-3 in Citrus Conference play. Hillsborough is on the opposite end of the table, falling to 8-44 overall and 3-33 in league play.
The Bucs will return to action Saturday at home on Sophomore Day at Buccaneers Park as they host #19 Seminole State in a 1 PM doubleheader. The Bucs eight sophomores will be recognized in a pregame ceremony prior to game one of the doubleheader.
