Posted: Apr 12, 2025
FORT MYERS, Fla.- It was the tale of two games on Saturday for the #7 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers as the Bucs cruised to their ninth straight win in a 10-0 five inning run rule in game one of their Citrus Conference doubleheader agianst the #18 Central Florida Patriots, but in game two it was quite the opposite story as the Patriots put it on FSW 14-3 in a five inning run rule of their own to split the doubleheader.
The Bucs jumped all over the Patriots early on in game one as three of their first four hitters of the 1st inning reached base before Carlos Sanchez launched a grand slam out to dead center field to give FSW a quick 4-0 lead.
Brock Knoerr knocked in a run in the 2nd to extend the lead to 5-0 and Bucs starter Abel Albarran cruised through the 3rd unscathed to keep it a 5-0 game in favor of FSW as the teams went to the 4th.
The Bucs blew the game open in the 4th as Nik Pereira and Nathan Fink doubled home runs to make it 8-0 and Sanchez and Ty Hamilton picked up RBI singles to balloon it to 10-0 in favor of FSW.
With any wind now out of the sails of the Patriots, Albarran closed things out in the 5th, working a 1-2-3 frame to kick the run rule in for FSW in a dominating 10-0 game one victory.
Sanchez finished 2-2 with a homer and five RBIs to lead the FSW offense while Fink was 2-3 with a pair of RBIs in the win. Albarran's effort was overshadowed by the offensive explosion, but the sophomore went the distance, scattering five hits and not walking a batter in a complete game shutout to improve to 4-1 on the year.
After getting blanked in game one of the doubleheader, the Patriots came out swinging in game two, getting a two run home run in the top of the 1st to take an early 2-0 lead.
Central Florida added another run in the 2nd on a one out RBI single, but the Bucs defense kept a fourth run from scoring on a perfectly executed relay to gun down a runner at the plate to keep it 3-0 after an inning and a half.
The Bucs got back in the game in the 3rd as Devin Parks and Brock Knoerr knocked in runs to make it a one run game at 3-2 at the end of three.
They didn't stay connected long though as Central Florida punished Bucs pitching in the 4th with five runs on five hits to open up an 8-2 advantage.
Nik Pereira hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 4th to make it an 8-3 game, but the Patriots were right back at it in the 5th as Bucs pitching issued three free passes and each time Central Florida took advantage with a home run immediately afterwards to blow the lead open to 14-3.
The Bucs couldn't get anything going in the bottom of the 5th , going down in order and just like that the game was over with Central Florida taking a 14-3 run rule win.
After scoring double figure runs in five straight games, the Bucs offense was stopped in it's tracks in the series finale, managing just four hits in the loss. Andrew McLaughlin took the loss on the mound, allowing two runs in the 1st inning before exiting to fall to 5-3 on the year.
The Bucs win the series, moving to 34-10 overall and 19-8 in Citrus Conference play on the year, remaining one game back of Indian River for the conference lead with two series left to go. Central Florida goes to 31-13 overall and 16-11 in league action.
Next up for the Bucs is a midweek matchup with DII #1 Pasco Hernando Tuesday in New Port Richey with first pitch scheduled for 5 PM against the Bobcats.
