OCALA, FL – The Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) Buccaneers showcased why they are among the nation's elite on Saturday, sweeping a competitive doubleheader against the College of Central Florida (CF) Patriots. FSW took the first game in an eight-inning thriller, 4-3, before dominating the second game with a 5-0 shutout fueled by a one-hit pitching performance.

Game 1: Buccaneers Edge Patriots in Extra-Inning Battle

The opening contest of the day was a back-and-forth defensive struggle that required an extra frame to decide a winner. FSW jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the first and another in the second to take a 3-0 advantage.

However, the Patriots refused to go quietly on their home turf. CF began their comeback in the bottom of the third when Hope Jordan and Kaylee Riles both delivered RBI doubles to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Patriots eventually tied the game in the bottom of the sixth after Tiara Chavis reached on an error and later scored, forcing the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, FSW recaptured the lead, scoring one run to make it 4-3. In the bottom half, FSW pitcher Giorgiana Woods, who came on in relief, slammed the door on the Patriots' offense. Woods earned the win (3-0), tossing three dominant innings of one-hit ball with four strikeouts. CF's Tiara Chavis pitched a complete-game heartbreaker, allowing only four hits over eight innings in the loss.

Game 2: Pats Offense Held to One-Hit 

The second game of the afternoon belonged entirely to FSW's Lizzy Kwakernaak. Kwakernaak took to the circle and threw a complete-game one-hit shutout, racking up 10 strikeouts and allowing only two walks over seven innings.

CF struggled to find any rhythm against Kwakernaak. The Patriots' lone hit of the game came from Vayla Mansfield, as the offense was unable to string together any momentum. Olivia Douglas took the loss for CF, surrendering four runs over four innings of work.

Looking Ahead

With the sweep, Florida SouthWestern improves to 19-3 (5-1 in conference play). The College of Central Florida moves to 10-8 (2-2 in conference) and will look to bounce back in their next out at Seminole State at 1 pm on Tuesday, March 3rd.