Wagner reaches 100 career hits in 14-4 Lady Bucks victory
By Bees O’Brien
FARWELL, PA- With only two full seasons and 10 games into her junior season, Bucktail’s Mak Wagner reached a milestone that few high school softball players reach in a full four season career. Wagner continued to show why she is one of the state’s most lethal batters on Wednesday in Farwell against Benton.
Wagner entered the contest needing three hits to reach the 100-hit milestone and she got there thanks to a late rally from a solid hitting Lady Tigers team.
Benton entered the top of the fifth inning down 12-0 and needed three runs to extend the inning. The Lady Tigers would score four runs in their half of the inning and preserve Wagner a plate appearance. She had already rocked a pair of singles to be within one hit.
Abby Miller, who entered the game in the top half of the fifth in relief of starting pitcher Lola English would deliver a single to centerfield. Haley Burrows would follow that up with a single of her own. Wagner would then blast a laser through the infield gap for her 100th career hit that would score Miller from third base.
Eva Sockman’s ground out to shortstop would score Burrows from third and set the 14-4 final.
Benton (2-5) played better than expected throughout the game. The Lady Tigers racked up eight hits. Bucktail starter Lola English held Benton scoreless through 4 innings, allowing just four hits.
The Lady Bucks started the game as if they were well on their way to another 15-run victory. English led the game off with a single and would then be knocked in on a Burrows double. Wagner would fly out to right field in her first at bat, but Eva Sockman’s single would score Burrows.
Kendall Wagner would then score Sockman on an infield single to give Bucktail a 3-0 lead after one inning, as the pesky Benton defense would get Alexis Lowery to ground out to third base.
Benton played a solid defense throughout the contest, but Bucktail’s 18 hits were just too much to counter.
Benton found trouble in the bottom of the second inning, but again their defense would make a play. They would double up the Lady Bucks on a fly out to prevent any more runs from scoring.
The Bucktail half of the third inning would be a different story. Five Bucktail hits would lead to five more runs and their lead grew to 8-0.
Burrows would start the inning with a walk and Wagner would connect on her first of three singles. This one would score Burrows. Kendall Wagner’s second hit of the game would score her sister Mak Wagner following a single from Makenna Stone.
Alexis Lowery’s single would score Stone and Matti Mason’s single would score both Lowery and Kendall Wagner to increase the lead to 8-0.
Bucktail’s bats would remain hot in the bottom of fourth inning. English would connect on her second single, Burrows would draw her second walk and it would be Mak Wagner with an RBI single to score English. A double from Sockman scored Burrows and Makenna Stone’s second single would score Wagner.
Alexis Lowery would reach on an error and score Sockman to make the score 12-0.
Benton would then plate four runners in the top of the fifth inning off five hits to extend the game, which ended in the bottom half of the fifth inning.
Mak Wagner would go 3 for 4 on the day with 3 RBI’s. Sockman collected two hits with 3 RBI’s. English, who picked up the win in the circle would connect on a pair of hits. Haley Burrows went 2 for 2 with 4 runs scored. Makenna Stone continues to swing a solid bat for the Lady Bucks by collecting a pair of singles. Kendall Wagner, Matti Mason and Alexis Lowery also had two hits each. Abby Miller had a single in the bottom of the fifth inning as well for Bucktail.
Bucktail, now 8-2 will be on the road on Friday to wrap up their Mid Penn Conference cross divisional schedule when they travel to Millville (2-7).
