Sarver Carves Up Buccaneers in 1-Hit Shutout

LAKELAND, Fla. – With the season on the line and pitching depth at a premium, freshman right-hander Joel Sarver stepped up and pitched the game of his career allowing just one hit in a 5-0 shutout victory over Florida SouthWestern in an elimination game on Saturday at Joker Marchant Stadium in the Region VIII Tournament.

Saver, who had just 21.1 innings under his belt entering the game, surrendered a two-out single in the third inning and scattered three walks, but was otherwise unhittable.

The freshman used an unpredictable mix of pitches to confuse Buccaneer hitters throughout the game. While only striking out four batters, Sarver did not allow a runner past first base and seemed in control from start to finish.

The Raiders (32-16) took a 2-0 lead when Austin Kelly lined a double down the right field line to score Reagan Burford and Nasir Frederick.

Florida SouthWestern went to Antonio Knowles, the FCSAA/Region VIII Fireman (Reliever) of the Year, in the sixth inning and the right-hander lived up to his billing until the ninth.

Cherokee Nichols ignited the NWF dugout with a solo blast to left. Tyler Kehoe doubled followed by a Burford single before Carlos Guzman put the nail in the coffin with a run-scoring single to left.

After a pitching change, Kelly gave the Raiders all the cushion they would need with an RBI groundout. Kelly finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Sarver walked the leadoff man in the ninth before getting a strikeout and a pair of pop outs to end the game.

NWF collected 10 hits, but also grounded into a pair of double plays to thwart a couple of scoring opportunities.

In four games during the tournament, Raider pitchers have posted a 2.75 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 36 innings.

Northwest Florida will play the winner of the Miami Dade/Santa Fe game on Sunday at 10 a.m. (CT). Regardless of the opponent, the Raiders will need to win two games on Sunday to advance to the NJCAA World Series.

For more information on Northwest Florida State Athletics, visit NWFRaiders.com or follow the team on Twitter at @NWFRaiders.