COLUMBUS, Ga.- The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers had a busy day on day one of the 2021 NFCA Classic in Columbus, Georgia, taking the field for three consecutive games to begin the tournament.  The Bucs were stung by the big inning, twice able to overcome crooked numbers in a 9-8 comeback win over Georgia Military and a 13-6 win over Wabash Valley, but in their final game of the day against #11 Wallace State, they couldn't, falling 12-8 to move to 17-3 on the year.

 

The day started off good for the Bucs as they plated a 1st inning run in their first at bats of the day against Georgia Military to take a quick 1-0 lead on the Bulldogs.  

 

Things went South quick though as the Bulldogs responded with eight runs in the bottom of the inning, chasing FSW starter Brooke Geiger to take an 8-1 lead.  

 

The Bucs began their comeback in the 2nd, bunting three times in the inning and taking advantage of shaky defense from the Bulldogs to score twice and get back to within five at 8-3. 

 

Alyson Marcum came in out of the Bucs bullpen and kept the game right there through the 2nd and 3rd and FSW continued to chip away in the 4th as Janessa Plummer singled up the middle to drive home a run and Owen Bowers drove a single the other way to score two more to make it an 8-6 game.  Later in the inning FSW scored their third run of the frame when Taylor Jensen blooped in an infield single to get them back to within one at 8-7.  

 

The Bucs tied the game on a wild play as Chelsea Brown came in to pinch hit for FSW with one out in the 5th and crushed the first ball she saw deep to left center field where the Bulldogs center fielder caught the ball and fell over the fence, allowing a run to score and to tie the game at 8.  

 

Marcum exited after 3 1/3 solid innings of relief and handed the ball to Alyssa O'Donnell who blanked the Bulldogs in the 5th to keep the game tied at 8-8. 

 

It didn't take long for the Bucs to take the lead back after that as Feline Poot crushed a solo home run over the left field wall to put FSW back on top 9-8. 

 

It was all O'Donnell from there as the Bucs righthander struck out five of the final six batters she faced to end any thought of a Bulldog comeback to nail down a 9-8 win for FSW. 

 

The Bucs outhit the Bulldogs 12-7 in the win, getting a 2-4, 3 RBI effort from Owen Bowers and 2 hits and 2 runs each from Plummer and Charlotte Drijvers. The Bucs bullpen was lights out as Marcum went 3 1/3 shutout frames, allowing just one hit and striking out three before O'Donnell went 3  hitless innings with 6 strikeouts to close the game out and earn her 8th win of the season.  

 

 

It was right back at it for the Bucs 20 minutes later as they took on Wabash Valley.  

 

The Warriors jumped on them in the 1st with a run to take an early 1-0 lead, but the Bucs responded with three in the bottom half of the inning without a ball leaving the infield to take a 3-1 lead.  

 

The Bucs added on in the 2nd as Rebeca Laudino doubled to center to score Janessa Plummer from second and then Drijvers drove home a run with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1 FSW after two.  

 

Wabash got back into the game with a single swing in the 5th, cracking a three run home run to center to make it 5-4 in the blink of an eye.  

 

Laudino used her wheels to manufacture the Bucs a run in the bottom of the 5th, singling on a well placed bunt before stealing second and third base and scoring on a sac fly from Shanika Klett to make it 6-4 FSW. 

 

The Warriors wouldn't go away, stringing together three straight one out hits in the 6th to score a pair of runs to knot the score up at 6.  

 

The game didn't stay tied long as in the Bucs next at bat, Eliska Stejkalova ripped a bases loaded double to left, bringing two runs home to give the Bucs an 8-6 lead. Later in the inning, back to back singles from Drijvers and Klett scored three more for the Purple and Aqua and with two outs a pinch hit single from Natavia Ellis drove home their sixth and seventh runs of the inning, taking it from a 6-6 game at the start of the frame, to a 13-6 Bucs lead at the end of it.  

 

The fight was taken out of the Warriors and they went down quietly in their final at bats, sealing up a 13-6 win for the Bucs to move to 2-0 on the day.  

 

Ten different Bucs had hits in the win led by Laudino who was a perfect 4-4 with 2 stolen bases and 3 runs scored. Behind her, Drijvers and Klett were the beneficiaries of her being on all day, combining to drive in 7 runs in the victory. Sarah Clontz picked up the win in the circle to improve to 2-0 on the year, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing 7 hits and 5 earned runs while striking out 6.  Marcum earned her first career save, going 1 2/3 scoreless to close the game out.  

 

 

The Bucs final game of the day was undoubtedly their toughest as top ranked FSW battled 16-2 and #11 Wallace State.  

 

FSW got off to a good start as Klett drove home a run in the 1st to give them a 1-0 lead and in the 2nd they got two more on a bomb from Jensen to make it 3-0.  

 

The Bucs looked completely in control as O'Donnell worked a 1-2-3 top of the 3rd and FSW cushioned their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the inning as Drijvers doubled home a run and Klett picked up her second RBI single in as many at bats. 

 

The game quickly turned in a different direction in the 4th as the Lions put together six hits and scored six runs, erasing the Bucs lead and taking a 6-5 lead of their own. 

 

The Bucs kept swinging in the bottom of the inning though as Poot launched her second home run of the day, this one a two run shot to put FSW back on top 7-6.  

 

The back and forth continued in the 6th when after two quick outs, Wallace State used a pair of doubles and a two run home run to score four times and retake the lead at 10-7. 

 

The Bucs got a run back on an infield single from Laudino, and they put the tying runs on base in the bottom of the 6th, but a pop out ended the threat and kept the score 10-8 in favor of the Lions. 

 

A leadoff home run and a two out double for Wallace in the 7th gave the Lions a pair of insurance runs and the Bucs went down quietly in their final at bats as Wallace finished off a 12-8 win to end the Bucs day. 

 

In a rare feat, the Lions outhit the Bucs 17-11 in the contest. Laudino continued her big day, doing 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Bucs while Poot and Klett each had two hits and drove home a pair. Plummer had her third multi-hit game of the day, going 2-3 with a pair of runs scored.  O'Donnell suffered her first loss of the season, allowing 17 hits and 12 runs, all earned, to fall to 8-1 on the year. 

 

 

The 2-1 day moves the Bucs to 17-3 on the year. 

 

FSW will be back in action tomorrow at the tournament when they will take on D2 #3 Louisburg at 9 followed by a date with Gordon State after that at 11:15.