(February 18, 2022) Mena, Arkansas – At this point, the Bucks were supposed to be three weeks into their season, but this is the end of the second week and the first true series of the year for the Bucks. Frontier Community College made the 9 plus hour drive from Illinois for a 4-game series at McMillan Park this weekend. Frontier comes into the series with a 4-4 record, while the Bucks come into the weekend with a 2-1 record on the season.
GAME ONE
Drake Fontenot (Bossier City, LA) got the start for the Bucks on the hill to start the series. Fontenot comes into the game only making one appearance on the season. He would go 3.1 innings, giving up 7 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits. Fontenot struck out and walked 2 apiece.
The Bobcats broke the 0-0 game in the top of the third inning by capitalizing on a Bucks error with the bases loaded and took a 5-0 lead. The Bucks did answer in the bottom half. After a leadoff double by Jackson Baker (Sherwood, AR), a walk and a passed ball, Dan Taylor (Rogers, AR) picked up a RBI on a ground out to the right side. Next at-bat, Brayden Sites (Sheridan, AR) would score on another passed ball. The Bucks cut the lead to 5-2 heading into the fourth.
The Bobcats picked up 2 more runs in the top of the fourth, chasing Fontenot from the game. Coming on in relief for the Bucks was Cooper Perry (Avinger, TX), picking up 2 strikeouts to strand the Bobcat runners and limited more damage. After a scoreless bottom of the fourth, Perry kept the Bobcats at bay again in the top of the fifth to bring the Bucks back to bat in the bottom half.
Dan Taylor led the inning off with a triple before Chase Webb (El Dorado, AR) hit a RBI single to left field, but that's all the Bucks could produce and cut the lead to 7-3 after five. Another scoreless inning in relief by Perry in the top of the sixth brought the Bucks back to bat, looking for a big inning.
Mason Reynolds (Fort Worth, TX) led off the bottom half with a solo homer to left field, but the Bucks would strand a pair of runners to end the sixth, trailing 7-4. A scoreless top half by the Bobcats had the Bucks hopeful, but the Bucks went in order to end the game.
Drake Fontenot (0-1) took the loss for the Bucks. Cooper Perry came on in relief and threw 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up no runs on 3 hits with 4 strikeouts.
GAME TWO
Grant Shankle (Van Buren, AR) got the start on the bump in game two. He lasted 3 innings, giving up 5 runs on 7 hits.
First at-bat of the game, Chase Webb took the first pitch deep the left field for a solo homer to kick things off. After back-to-back walks and a single with 1 out, Mason Reynolds repeated his last at-bat in game one with a grand slam to make it 5-0 after an inning.
The Bucks were held scoreless the next two innings, as were the Bobcats. Shankle stranded the bases loaded in the top of the third, but the Bobcats made the most out of some Bucks errors and a 2-run homer that chased Shankle from the game with it tied 5-5 with no outs. Cade Shrum (Greenwood, AR) came in on relief to get the Bucks out of the inning.
The Bucks answered in the bottom half after a walk and single up the middle with 2 outs. Chase Webb hit a 2 RBI double down the left field line. Next at-bat, Cooper White (Benton, AR) hit a RBI single to make it 8-5.
Frontier answered with a 2-run homer in the top of the fifth, but the Bucks produced a run in the bottom half. With 2 outs and a runner on first, Cole Clark (Clarksville, AR) doubled off the left field wall to score Wesley Featherston (Hope, AR) to make it 9-7 after five.
Keelan Hodge (Junction City, AR) came on to pitch to start the sixth inning. After a scoreless sixth inning, Frontier produced a run to make it 9-8, but the Bucks got that run back in the bottom half. With 1 out, Cole Clark hit a solo shot over the right center fence to make it 10-8 after seven.
The Bucks looked to add to their lead in the bottom half of the eighth inning. Webb led off with a single before White hit a double with no outs. Two hitters later, Luke Rice (Scott, AR) hit a sacrifice fly to left field to increase the lead to 11-8.
Daegan Covington (Taylor, AR) came on in the nineth to close out the game for the Bucks. After giving up a lead off walk, Covington retired the next three hitters to pickup his first save of the season. Bucks win 11-8.
Picking up the win on the day was Cade Shrum (1-1). Shrum pitched the fourth and fifth innings, giving up 2 runs on 2 hits. Keelan Hodge pitched the sixth, seventh, and eighth giving up a single run. The pitching staff combined for 9 strikeouts on the day with only 1 walk.
The Bucks and Bobcats are back at it tomorrow at McMillan Park. The doubleheader starts at 11 am at Union Bank Field.
#GOBUCKS