Canton’s Wesneski could give Bucktail problems in District Championship
By Bees O’Brien
WILLIAMSPORT, PA- Canton head coach Lyle Wesneski noticed that his ace pitcher needed a break following Canton’s playoff-clinching victory over Towanda, so he gave his hurler the last two games off to rest for playoffs.
Wesneski should know his pitcher better than most because it’s his daughter Keri Wesneski.
Canton defeated Montgomery 14-11 and then fell to Troy 11-5 without Wesneski in the circle. The move appeared to pay off last Thursday as Wesneski and her Lady Warriors rolled past St. John Neumann in the 1A semifinals 10-0. Wesneski would strike out 12 of the 17 batters she would face in the victory, but Wesneski has never stared into the eyes of an offense like Bucktail’s. She will on Tuesday when Canton meets the high-octane offense that the Lady Bucks have showcased.
Bucktail blasted a pair of home runs and pounded out 14 hits against Montgomery in their 12-2 semifinal win to earn the right to play for a district title.
Canton has battled some potent offenses in the NTL this season. Troy led the league in home runs and Canton played them on two occasions and was swept by them. The Lady Warriors will come into this meeting ready to play.
Canton can put the ball in play and Wesneski leads them in that department too. She would go 2 for 3 with 3 RBI’s against Neumann. Madison Hulbert went 2 for 2, Molly Ward 1 for 3, Rylin Graham went 1 for 2 and Chelsea Lehman would go 1 for 2 in the win.
Canton, at one point just 7-7, had since fought back to make playoffs, grab the two seed and now sits at 13-8 heading into the championship game against the Lady Bucks.
Bucktail has won five in a row since they lost to District 4 3A finalists Warrior Run, 9-8. They have featured some long ball power during their latest streak.
Kendall Wagner and Haley Burrows both launched shots out of Elm Park last Thursday. Matti Mason, Eva Sockman, Mak Wagner and Lola English have also clubbed home runs during the streak. The Lady Bucks swatted 14 hits in their semifinal victory over Montgomery.
Bucktail, now 15-4 will be looking for their first district title since 2019. Canton was last in a District Championship game in 2007 and won a district title in 2000. The 2000 Canton squad would go on to capture a state title that season.
Game time from Elm Park is set for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and will be audio livestreamed on The Record-Online.
