Montgomery downs Lady Bucks, 5-2

FARWELL, PA – The Montgomery Lady Raiders took the first round of their meetings with the Bucktail softball team this season, earning a 5-2 win before a large crowd at the Bucktail field on Tuesday.

Montgomery rode the arm of junior Faith Persing who went the distance in tossing a 2-hitter for the win. She was masterful at the start, retiring the first nine Lady Bucks on strikeouts. She had a no-hitter through the first five innings. Bucktail did get to Persing for two runs in the bottom of the sixth, the first she has surrendered this year in 35 innings of pitching.

The game was tight from the start, Montgomery taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first off a bases-loaded walk. The Lady Raiders added two more in the fourth for a 3-0 lead. Montgomery added another run in the top of the sixth and then Bucktail battled back. Lily Francis drew a walk, the first given up by Persing this season; Kayla Probert followed with her team’s first hit, a ball up the middle. Haley Burrows sacrificed them up and Makenzie Wagner belted a 2-out, 2-RBI double to make it a 4-2 game. Montgomery plated an unearned run in the top of the seventh for a 5-2 lead and Persing shut down Bucktail in the bottom of the inning for her seventh win of the year.

Persing, the Montgomery leadoff hitter, helped her own cause with two of the four Raider hits, a double and a triple, driving in one. For the game, she struck out 16, walked one and hit one. Emma Poorman went the first five for Bucktail, Wagner the last two; they combined on the 4-hitter, striking out 10 in all. Two Montgomery runs were unearned as Bucktail committed four errors.

Bucktail is now 7-2 with the loss. The two District 4 Class 1A powers are scheduled for a rematch May 3 at Montgomery, now 8-0. They could also meet again in the district playoffs later in May. Meanwhile Bucktail is to travel to Millville (5-3) on Wednesday.

M  1  0  0  2  0  1  1 = 5-4-0

B  0  0  0  0  0  2  0 = 2-2-4