PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.- On Friday, in their opening game of the FCSAA Final Four, 14 runs was more than enough for the #6 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers.  For eight innings in Sunday's Championship it looked like it might be just enough too, but a five run 9^th by the #24 Central Florida Patriots spelled doom for the Bucs as the Patriots completed their comeback with an 18-14 win to force a winner take all Championship Game number two Monday with the winner moving on to the Juco World Series and the loser packing it up and calling it a season. 

 

The Bucs didn't get off on the right foot Sunday as the Patriots leadoff hitter in the top of the 1^st sent one into the bullpen to give Central Florida a quick 1-0 lead and back to back hits after that followed by a sacrifice fly put the Bucs in a 2-0 hole at the end of a half inning of play. 

 

The Bucs answered right back, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the 1^st before back to back bases loaded walks forced home runs and tied the game up at 2. With the sacks still packed, Luke Orfi singled up the middle to bring home two more and give the Bucs the lead and a wild pitch later in the inning allowed another run to score to give FSW five in the inning and a 5-2 lead after one. 

 

The lead didn't last long for FSW as three straight hits gave the Patriots a run and a dropped fly ball in the outfield that would have ended the inning, instead plated two more runs to tie the game at 5 after two. 

 

The Bucs took the lead back in the 3rd as Anthony Ruocco pulled a two run single into left and later in the inning Nathan Fink hit one back where it came from to drive home two more and make it 9-5 FSW at the end of three innings of action. 

 

The back and forth continued in the 4^th as Central Florida put up their third crooked number in four innings with a pair of runs to get back to within two at 9-7. 

 

Nik Pereira cracked a solo shot out to left to start the FSW 4^th to make it a 10-7 game and Devin Parks and Brock Knoerr picked up RBI singled to stretch the lead to 12-7. The Bucs had a chance to blow the game open as they laoded the bases for the middle of their lineup, but an infield fly and a strikeout ended the frame with three ducks on the pond as it remained a 12-7 FSW lead at the end of four complete. 

 

The teams had traffic again in the 5th, but for the first time in the game, neither side scored as it stayed a 12-7 game to the 6th. 

 

The Bucs shot themselves in the foot in the 6th, loading the bases on three straight free passes before a sac fly brought a run home without a hit to make it 12-8. The Bucs went to the bullpen for the third time in the game to try to get out of further damage, but it didn't play out like FSW had planned as a three run home run for Central Florida quickly drew the Patriots back to within one at 12-11 after 5 1/2. 

 

The Patriots gifted the Bucs a run back in the bottom of the 6^th as a pair of hit batters put a runner in scoring position and Carlos Sanchez cashed it in with an RBI infield single to make it 13-11. However, the Bucs failed to punish the Patriots any further, leaving the bases loaded at inning's end, the fourth straight inning the Bucs left two or more runners on, to keep it a 13-11 game at the end of six. 

 

For the second straight inning, two walks and a hit batter by FSW pitching loaded the bases for Central Florida and a single the other way scored two to tie the score back up at 13. 

 

The Bucs took the lead back after stretch time as Parks reached on an error and scored on a cue shot double off the bat of Knoerr down the left field line to put FSW in front 14-13. 

 

Central Florida put the tying and go ahead runs on in the 8^th but Logan O'Leary came in out of the FSW bullpen and got the Bucs out of the jam to keep them ahead by one going to the 9^th at 14-13. 

 

Just three outs from their first trip to their first FCSAA Championship in program history, the wheels fell off for the Bucs. A leadoff walk and a single put two on with nobody out before a three run home run for the Patriots put Central Florida in front 16-14. Two more walks and a single loaded the bases back up for Central Florida and a wild pitch and a groundout pushed two more runs home to make it 18-14 Patriots. 

 

With 32 runs already scored in the game, it wasn't out of the question for the Bucs to mount a comeback of their own, but it wasn't to be on this day as three straight groundouts send the Bucs out quietly as Central Florida completed the comeback for an 18-14 win to force a deciding game at the tournament Monday. 

 

Five different players had multi-hit games for the Bucs and six of nine players in the lineup had two RBIs. Orfi did both, finishing 2-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs while also walking three times and stealing three bases to give him 100 in his career. Despite putting up 14 runs, the Bucs missed a chance for more, leaving a season high 14 runners on base in the defeat. 

 

Seven different FSW pitchers threw in the loss, none of the four that completed an inning allowed less than two runs. Parker Burgess suffered the loss, allowing three hits and five runs in just 1/3 of an inning pitched to fall to 2-2 on the year. 

 

The Bucs snap a mini four game winning streak to fall to 43-15 on the year while Central Florida completes back to back 9^th inning comebacks on Sunday to keep their season alive with a 39-17 record. 

 

The Patriot win sets up a winner take all final game of the FCSAA Tournament on Monday. Play is scheduled to begin at noon, but weather could affect the start time. The winner of Monday's contest will advance to the Juco World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado while the loser's season will be done.