Posted: Feb 20, 2024
LAKE WORTH, Fla.- As the old saying goes, 'it's not how you start, it's how you finish' and for the #16 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers that rang true on Tuesday as after being shutout by the Palm Beach State Panthers in the first three innings of their non-conference contest, they exploded for 14 runs in the final three innings for a 15-2 run rule win to improve to 11-5 on the year.
It looked like the Bucs were going to get off to a fast start as they loaded the bases with one out in the top half of the 1st inning, but a strikeout and a groundout kept them off the board and Palm Beach blasted a solo home run on the first pitch they saw in the bottom of the 1st to take a quick 1-0 lead.
It remained a 1-0 game as the Bucs went down in order in both the 2nd and 3rd innings.
The Bucs leveled the score in the 4th on an RBI groundout from Luca Danos and FSW starter Abel Albarran posted his third straight zero in the bottom of the inning to keep it a 1-1 game to the 5th.
FSW kept the pressure on in the 5th, taking their first lead of the game after back to back walks, a pair of stolen bases, and a wild pitch to go ahead 2-1. Later in the inning an RBI double from Nate Earley made it 4-1 and a two run single from Cooper Clapp upped the lead to 7-1 for FSW. When the dust settled, it was a seven run inning for the Bucs to give them an 8-1 lead at the end of five innings of play.
It was more of the same for the Purple and Aqua in the 6th as the first two hitters of the FSW half of the inning reached ahead of a huge three run bomb from Earley to quickly cushion the lead to 10 at 11-1.
The Bucs continued to put traffic on the bases in the 7th as Jared Davis doubled home a run to make it 12-1 and he scored on a Victor Figueroa two bagger to make it a 13-1 game in favor of FSW. The Bucs tacked on two more runs without a hit in the inning to balloon the lead to 15-1 at stretch time.
Palm Beach got a run in the 7th , but it was too little too late as the Bucs kicked the run rule in after seven with a 15-2 victory.
The Bucs outhit the Panthers 10-5 in the contest. Figueroa finished 3-5 with a pair of doubles and two runs scored while Earley continued his on base tear, going 2-2 with a homer and four RBIs while also reaching base on a pair of free passes. Albarran was lights out after yielding the first pitch homer, going five solid innings, allowing three hits and one run to earn his first collegiate win.
The Bucs win their eighth straight to improve to 11-5 on the year while Palm Beach falls to 9-3 in 2024.
FSW will turn their attention back to Citrus Conference play on Thursday when they host fellow conference 3-0 Indian River at 2:00 at Buccaneers Park in Fort Myers.