(March 22, 2025) El Reno, Oklahoma - Coming off winning both games at home on Thursday, the Bucks headed out on Saturday looking for a series win over Redlands Community College. Starting 3-1 or 4-0 in region play will play a factor the closer we get to May for the Region II Baseball Tournament in Enid.
The Bucks had a sluggish start to the day, dropping the 7-inning contest, 12-4. However, the Bucks came back and won another shootout, 22-11 in 7-innings, to get the region series win over the Cougars. The win gives the Bucks a 17-14 overall record, but more importantly, a 3-1 record in NJCAA Region II - West Division.
The men scored 26 runs on 26 hits, including 10 extra base hits on the day. Ian Smith (Bismarck, AR) led the way with 5 RBIs, 4 runs, and 3 doubles in the doubleheader. Gage Mullins (McAlester, OK) was close behind with 4 RBIs, 3 runs, and a home run. Jack Bilski (La Porte, TX) and Ethan Miller (Hallsville, TX) each drove in 3 runs and scored 3 runs. Cody Hayes (Mildred, TX) and Landen Feimster (Sheridan, AR) each had solo home runs in the day's win.
For the blue collar guys, Shelby Anders (Baton Rouge, LA) found himself on-base in half of his plate appearances and scored 4 times on the day. Cody Hayes continues his quest to break the career hit-by-pitch record and was hit again this afternoon. He is now needs 3 HBP to tie the career record. He currently has 12 this season. He also reached base 60% of his plate appearances in the doubleheader.
On the mound, the Bucks used 7 pitchers on the day. Logan Steele (Magnolia, TX) started the first game of the day and lasted 3.0 innings. Steele (4-1) got his first loss of the season, giving up 9 runs (5 earned) on 9 hits. Ty Steele (Bentonville, AR) got the start to conclude the series and lasted 1.2 innings. Hayden McCarley (Dewitt, AR) come on in relief and pitched 3.0 innings to get his first win of the season. McCarley (1-0) gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and struck out a pair on the day.
A notable outing was Riley Nicholson (Conway, AR) putting up a pair of zeros on the scoreboard to finish the region win. Nicholson pitched 2.0 innings, giving up only 1 hit and struck out a pair in the outing.
The Bucks will now turn the page and look forward to their region series with NOC-Enid this coming week. The Bucks and Jets will begin the series on Thursday at Union Bank Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.
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