(March 19, 2022) Mena, Arkansas – Coming into Saturday's series finale with Redlands Community College, the Bucks were 6-0 in Region II contests so far in the very young conference season, including a doubleheader win in El Reno on Thursday. The Bucks looked to keep the momentum going on their home field Saturday afternoon at McMillan Park. The Bucks received votes in this past week's NJCAA DII Baseball Poll.
GAME ONE
The Bucks wanted to jump out and get the series win in the first game of the doubleheader. Jackson Wells (Rogers, AR) got the start on the bump for the Bucks and went to work. The freshmen right hander ran into very little trouble in the game, giving up only 3 hits in the contest and walked a lone hitter. In his 6.0 innings of work, Wells (3-0) wouldn't give up a run in the win and struck out 4 hitters.
The Bucks used four home runs in the contest to score their 10 runs. The first homer opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Trace Watkins (Sheridan, AR) took a big swing with a runner on to give the Bucks a 2-0 lead. In the next inning, Mason Reynolds (Fort Worth, TX) led off with a line drive homer before Wesley Featherston (Hope, AR) hit a 3-run blast to make it 6-0 after three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, Jackson Baker (Sherwood, AR) hit his second homer of the series, a 3-run shot over the left field fence that gave the Bucks a 9-0 lead after four innings.
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Bucks would end the game on a bases loaded single by Wesley Featherston that gave the Bucks a 10-0 run rule win in six innings to pickup the series win.
GAME TWO
With the series win in the bag, the Bucks looked to get their second consecutive series sweep in the second game of the doubleheader. Randy Little Jr. (Pine Bluff, AR) got the start on the hill and looked good in his 5.0 innings of work. His only blemish of the day came in the top of the second inning when the Cougars scratched across a run. Little (2-1) gave up 1 earned run on 4 hits, while striking out 7 and walking 4.
The Bucks started the game offensively like the previous contest, scratching across a run in the bottom of the first inning before putting up a crooked number in the bottom of the second. In the first, Luke Rice (Scott, AR) doubled to plate Cooper White (Benton, AR) to kick off the scoring. With the game tied a 1-1, the Bucks exploded for 5 runs in the bottom of the second inning. With two runners on, Jackson Baker snuck one through the left side of the infield plate a run. Two hitters later and two runners on, Cooper White would hit a 3-run blast to right centerfield. Not to be outdone, Chase Webb (El Dorado, AR) hit his seventh homer of the season in the next at-bat to make it 6-1 after two innings.
After two scoreless innings, the Bucks plated 3 more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. With 2 outs, Trace Watkins scored on a passed ball before a Brayden Sites (Sheridan, AR) single that setup Eli Garrison (North Little Rock, AR) hitting his first home run of the season to make it 9-1 after five.
Little's day was done, and Keelan Hodge (Junction City, AR) entered the game in relief. He would cruise through an inning before giving up a couple runs in the seventh and 4 runs in the eighth. He was chased from the contest after 2.2 innings of work. Daegan Covington (Taylor, AR) entered the game with a 2-run lead, setting him up in a save situation with 4 outs remaining. The Bucks gave Covington an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on an Isaac Price (Siloam Springs, AR) RBI single. Covington retired all four hitters he would face to pick up the Bucks series sweep and his second save of the season.
The Bucks get a few days off before heading to #12 Eastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday for a single 9-inning contest. The men return to region play next Thursday at home against Carl Albert State College.
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