Wagner’s big afternoon ends with walk off single in Bucktail win
By Bees O’Brien
FARWELL- Kendall Wagner came to play Monday afternoon. The Bucktail junior first baseman connected on four singles, but none was bigger than her RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored Riley Salizzoni to give the Lady Bucks a big win over a quality Moshannon Valley Damsels squad, 8-7.
The battled tested Damsels proved just how dangerous their offense was by scoring a quick run in the top of the first inning.
Trailing 1-0, Bucktail used singles from Wagner and Eva Sockman that allowed Makenna Stone, who reached on an error and Lola English who was hit by a pitch to both score. Wagner eventually scored on the Sockman single.
Mo Valley battled back by crossing 3 runs in their next trip to the plate to grab a 4-3 lead.
The Lady Bucks rallied once again in the second inning. Rebekah Conway’s single started off a big 3-hit inning for Bucktail. Stone followed Conway’s single with one her own before another Wagner single cleared the bases to give the Lady Bucks a 5-4 lead.
Ditty then went to work. The Bucktail freshman was masterful in her pitch placement to keep a very strong hitting Damsel squad from delivering a knockout blow. Moshannon Valley connected on 10 hits in the game, but were limited to just two extra base hits. Ditty was relieved by Sockman for the final two innings, striking out four and picking up the win.
Bucktail extended it’s lead to 7-4 following hits from Lola English and Stone in the fourth inning and another big single from Wagner to score Stone and English.
The Lady Bucks led 7-4, but the experience of Mo Valley came into play. The Damsels chipped away at the Bucktail lead. The Damsels added a single run in the top of the fifth inning and tied things up at 7-7 following a 2-run sixth inning from the visitors.
A 2-run seventh inning from Moshannon Valley had the outlook bleak for Bucktail. The Lady Bucks bottom of the order had to become heroes and they did just that.
Ditty started the rally with a walk, followed by a single to rightfield from Angel Kmetz. Salizzoni drew a walk to load the bases up. Ditty then scored on a Conway fielder’s choice.
Makenna Stone delivered with an RBI single scoring Kmetz to tie things up at 9-9.
Moshannon Valley’s star pitcher AB Anderson then got a strikeout on English before Wagner delivered her RBI single straight up the middle for the win.
Bucktail’s bats were in tune against a solid Anderson. The Lady Bucks pounded out 14 hits led by Wagner’s four singles and Stone’s four singles. Kmetz and English each picked up apair of hits in the win. Conway and Sockman each has hits too for Bucktail.
The Lady Bucks improved to 5-6 on the season and can get back to .500 with a win on Wednesday at Booneville Campground when they meet Sugar Valley (1-10).They will then be tested the following night at home against Oswayo Valley (5-5) on Thursday.
