OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The #7 nationally ranked Florida Southwestern State Buccaneers (33-9, 18-7) rolled into Ocala riding a seven-game winning streak – and the #18 College of Central Florida Patriots (30-12, 15-10) couldn’t cool them off. The Bucs secured an 11-5 win Thursday, jumping out to a 10-0 lead by the third inning.
FSW catcher Nik Pereira did much of the early damage, belting his ninth home run of the season and racking up four RBI. Ty Hamilton also drove in four runs with a triple and his second homer of the year.
The Patriots avoided the run rule but couldn’t claw back from the early deficit. Dawson Harman launched his state-leading 18th home run of the season, while Victor Martinez added two hits and two RBI. Tanner Swank also collected two hits, and Logan Chapman legged out his first triple of the year.
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Patriots starter Kohl Kilcrease struggled against the hot FSW bats, allowing nine runs on nine hits in just 2.1 innings. Relievers Cooper Ryan (3.2 IP, 5H, 2R, 4K), Karson Lindsey (1.0 IP, 0H, 0R, 1K), and Jose Paniagua (2.0 IP, 1H, 0R, 1K) held the Bucs mostly in check the rest of the way.
Central Florida will travel to Fort Myers on Saturday to wrap up the Citrus Conference series against FSW with a doubleheader at 1 and 4 p.m.
Citrus Conference Standings (after 25 games)
Top 5 teams earn automatic bids to the state regional playoffs
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Indian River State College | 19-6 |
| Florida Southwestern State College | 18-7 |
| College of Central Florida | 15-10 |
| SCF-Manatee | 15-10 |
| Miami-Dade College | 13-12 |
| Eastern Florida State College | 12-13 |
| Polk State College | 12-13 |
| Seminole State College | 11-14 |
| Santa Fe College | 11-14 |
| Daytona State College | 10-15 |
| Hillsborough Community College | 9-16 |
| St. Petersburg College | 5-20 |
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WORK WEEK WEATHER: Warm, Mostly Sunny with Late-Week Rain Chances for Ocala
Ocala will see highs in the upper 80s and mostly sunny skies through midweek, according to the National Weather Service. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to increase Thursday and Friday.