Wagner strikes out 10 in 5-1 Lady Bucks win over Northwest
By Bees O’Brien
FARWELL, PA- Northwest entered Farwell on Tuesday afternoon with a 5-4 record and provided what Bucktail head coach Mike Poorman called a perfect “trap game” following the Lady Bucks stunning 1-0 win at Jersey Shore the previous day.
Poorman wasn’t taking any chances against a solid Lady Rangers squad as he tossed his top pitcher Mak Wagner into the circle fresh off her complete game shutout over the Lady Bulldogs the previous evening. The move paid off.
The Bucktail junior would go 6 innings and held Northwest to no runs on 1 hit, while allowing just 1 walk and struck out 10 Lady Rangers in the process.
Bucktail jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning following a Lola English single. English would score on an RBI single from Eva Sockman.
The Lady Bucks lead would grow in the bottom of the second inning. Alexis Lowery would reach base after being hit by a pitch. Matti Mason would then hit a single. Control issues for Northwest in the circle would become an issue when Kayla Probert would be hit by a pitch.
Lowery, Mason and Probert would all score with Probert’s score coming by way of sacrifice fly from Sockman for her second RBI of the contest.
Northwest got through the Bucktail at bat in the third inning with no damage done, but senior Hailey Burrows would connect on a triple to right field. English would then knock her in on a ground out to second base to give Bucktail the 5-0 lead after four innings of play.
The Lady Rangers would keep Bucktail from adding more runs, but they would score a run themselves in the top of the seventh off of relief pitcher Makenna Stone to set the 5-1 final.
Bucktail collected 8 hits on the day led by Burrows’ 3 hits. English, Mak Wagner, Sockman, Lowery and Mason all had a hit each for Bucktail.
Northwest fell to 5-5, but still holds the 8-spot in the current 2A standings in District 4. Bucktail improved to 7-2 and continued to be the top ranked team in the district in the 1A classification.
The Lady Bucks will next face Benton (2-5) Wednesday afternoon in Farwell at 4:30 p.m..
