Phoenix hold off Bucktail in 6-4 home win
By Bees O’Brien
Lock Haven- On Tuesday afternoon at Taggart Park, two county rivals squared off in the latest chapter in the “Clinton County Classic”. Sugar Valley was looking to avenge their 8-6 loss to the Bucks earlier this season in Farwell. Bucktail, meanwhile was looking to reach their third Mid Penn Conference win of the season.
It was also Military Appreciation Night at Taggart Park, which saw a nice ceremony prior to the game, special speakers and Sugar Valley offered from food and drinks to all veterans who attended the game.
When Sugar Valley’s Toby Conoway threw his final pitch of the game, his lone strike out in his one and a third innings of work was the biggest pitch of the night for the Phoenix. That strike out gave Sugar Valley their third win of the season by a count of 6-4 over the Bucks.
Bucktail’s stagnant offense and Sugar Valley’s inability to mount much of anything against Keller Friese combined for a lack of scoring early.
Friese legged out a triple in the top of the first inning, but he fell victim to the theme of the night for the Bucks, stranded in scoring position.
Bentley Andrus’s double in the bottom of the second inning gave Sugar Valley hope, but like Friese he would be stranded.
Bucktail starting catcher Cael Dorman drew a walk to begin the fourth inning. Senior Gary Whipp then drove in Dorman with an RBI single to give the Bucks a 1-0 lead.
The Phoenix then began to rise in their half of the inning. Brody Swanger and Lincoln Breon both reached base. A Layden Bryan base hit scored both Swanger and Breon. Two pitches later, Bryan crossed the plate on a passed ball to give Sugar Valley a 3-1 lead.
Bucktail fought back in the most unlikely of ways in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman Teagan Stone went down swinging, but a missed third strike allowed the Bucktail speedster to reach base.
Tyler Hillyer and Keller Friese both drew walks to the load the bases and allow Dorman to connect on a single that scored both Stone and Hillyer to tie things up at 3-3.
A sacrifice fly to left field from Ethan Charcalla scored Friese from third to giver Bucktail the 4-3 lead.
A Conoway 2 RBI triple capped off a three-run bottom of the sixth inning for the Phoenix.
The Bucks had a shot in their half of the seventh after Gavin Pick drew a walk against Conoway, but Pick was thrown out at second base following Dorman’s second hit of the night.
Friese finished the day only allowing 3 earned runs in 6 innings of work. The Bucktail sophomore fanned 10 batters, while only walking 2.
Dorman’s pair of singles led Bucktail on offense. Friese’s triple was Bucktail’s only extra base hit. Ethan Charcalla, Gary Whipp and Talan Ditty all collected singles from a Bucktail team that was held to just 6 hits and committed a pair of errors.
Brody Swanger led the Phoenix with two hits. His double to go along with Bentley Andrus’s double accounted for Sugar Valley’s extra base knocks. Conoway, Briar Martin and Lincoln Breon also added hits for Sugar Valley.
The Phoenix improved to 3-8 and will next meet Montgomery at Taggart Park on Thursday.
Bucktail fell to 2-9 on the season. Their road trip to Cameron County on Wednesday has been canceled. Their next contest will be a trip to Williamsport on Thursday to face St. John Neumann.
