Montgomery prepares for Bucktail showdown with 11-1 win over Lady Phoenix

By Bees O’Brien

MONTGOMERY- Montgomery head coach Chris Glenn knows that the path back to another district title will go through Bucktail, but on Tuesday night his squad had their hands full at home against upstar Sugar Valley Rural Charter.

The Lady Phoenix did well early on against the heavily favored Lady Red Raiders. Sugar Valley’s defense would bend often, but never really would break until late in the game.

Montgomery used a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning and would put forth their best inning of the day in the second with 4 runs. Montgomery’s lead would extend to 8-0 following a pair of third inning runs, but Sugar Valley would show their improvements by holding one of the district’s top 1A programs scoreless in the fourth inning before plating their first run in the top of the fifth inning.

Up 8-1, the Lady Red Raiders would cross three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the game and give them the 11-1 Mid Penn Conference win.

Cheyenne Weaver would lead the Sugar Valley offense with 2 hits,one of which being a triple. Ellynn Scarborough would add a double. Lilly Mundrick would collect a single and score the Lady Phoenix’s only run. Olivia Clester and Marrin Clester also collected singles for Sugar Valley. Olivia Clester also had their lone RBI.

Sugar Valley (1-1, 0-1) will now square off with East Juniata on Monday in a nonconference meeting with the Lady Tigers.

Montgomery, now 1-0 will set their sites on Bucktail on Thursday in what could be a District IV 1A title preview contest.