Bucktail softball knocks off defending state champions Montgomery, 13-3
By Bees O’Brien
FARWELL, PA- The year was 2019 the last time Bucktail managed to defeat Montgomery in softball. That victory came in the PIAA District IV Class 1A championship game. The Lady Raiders dominated the Lady Bucks in five straight games since then, but that was with ace Faith Persing in the circle. Persing is gone now, along with eight other Montgomery starters from last year’s state championship team. Montgomery is still Montgomery however and the 2023 Lady Raiders might not have the stars they had last season but they’re still a very capable team.
That 2019 Bucktail team started four freshmen. This year’s squad also starts four freshmen and those newcomers made a huge impact right out of the gate.
Bucktail scored 7 first inning runs, belt out 13 hits on their way to a huge 13-3 victory and snap Montgomery’s 41-game Mid Penn Conference win streak.
Bucktail fell behind 1-0 early in the top of the first inning, but that lead wouldn’t hold for long.
Bucktail’s Haley Burrows embraced her new leadoff spot by reaching base on a single. Freshman Lola English would then reach on an error. Mak Wagner would score Burrows on a fielder’s choice. The freshmen duo of Eva Sockman and Makenna Stone would deliver back-to-back singles.
An Alexis Lowery single, followed by a single from Lily Francis would give Bucktail the 4-1 lead.
Freshman Kendall Wagner would deliver on her very first varsity plate appearance with a towering 3-run home run shot over the left field fence to build Bucktail’s lead to 7-1 after one inning of play.
The Lady Bucks bats fell silent until the bottom of the fourth inning when Haley Burrows swatted a shot into right field. Burrows galloped around the bases in a hurry to complete an inside the park home run and give her squad the 8-2 lead.
Montgomery struggled all game with the pitching of Mak Wagner. Wagner would pitch five complete innings, while striking out 9 Lady Red Raiders. Wagner allowed just three hits, while walking just two hitters before being replaced by Makenna Stone for the game’s final inning.
Bucktail would carry their 10-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning, needing just three runs to officially end the game. English would reach base safely again on an error. A Make Wagner RBI single would then score her. Eva Sockman would then be hit by a pitch.
With Bucktail now needing just two runs to close out the game, Alexis Lowery would knock in Wagner and Sockman with her third base hit of the game.
Lowery led Bucktail hitters by going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’s. Burrows, English, Mak Wagner and Stone each had a pair of hits on the day. Lily Francis added a single and an RBI for Bucktail.
Bucktail (1-0, 1-0) will now step outside of conference play and head north for their first road trip of the 2023 season on Saturday at Sayre (0-2).
