(February 6, 2024) Mena, Arkansas - It feels like it's been a very long time since last May, but the fourth edition of Bucks Softball is now here. The ladies were eager to take the field this afternoon at Union Bank Field to kick off their 2024 campaign. The Bucks faced a new in-state program in Southeast Arkansas College in the doubleheader.

Game One

To open their season, the ladies came to the plate with a mission and scored runs in bunches after trailing 1-0 after an inning of play. Back-to-back, 1 out doubles started the scoring on the day. Layla Baker (Minden, LA) trades places with Laney Linseisen (Longview, TX) to tie the game at 1-1. After a walk and a single, JJ Bass (Joaquin, TX) singled to left field to give the Bucks a 2-1 lead after a pair of innings. 

The next two innings, the ladies scored 10 runs. The innings were highlighted by multiple RBI doubles by Baker, Bass, Baker again in the fourth, Lilli Williams (Granbury, TX), and Olivia Nickson (Centerton, AR). After four innings, the Bucks led 12-3 heading into the top of the fifth. 

With the lead, sophomore McKenna Bittle (Greers Ferry, AR) looked to complete her complete game and did by facing four hitters in the inning and getting a fly ball to end the game. Bittle (1-0) picked up the win in 5.0 innings of work, striking out 8 and walking 3 in the contest. Bittle has made her committment to Williams Baptist University after this season with UARM. 

Game Two

Looking to start the season 2-0, the ladies scored 8 of their 9 runs in the first four innings of the game. Nickson started off the game with a RBI double in the first, followed by Emma Reynolds (Cayuga, TX) scoring on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the second. SEARK would tie the game in the top of the third inning, but the Bucks would then plate 3 runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. 

With 1 out in the third, a walk and hit-by-pitch brough Olivia Nickson to the plate. The freshmen recorded her first homer of her college career with a line drive that cleared the centerfield wall to give the Bucks a 5-2 advantage. SEARK would not go quietly and scored 4 runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a 6-5 lead, but the Bucks plated another 3 runs in the fourth to take back their lead. The inning saw the Bucks hit 3 triples in the inning that started with Reynolds leading off, followed by Riley Lowery (Hughes Springs, TX) hitting a triple of her own. Linseisen scored Lowery on a RBI single. Three hitters later, Lilli Williams hit a RBI triple of her own to give the Bucks a 8-6 lead after four. After a scoreless fifth, the ladies scratched across the last run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on an error to make the score 9-6.

Kamryn Uher (Prairie Grove, AR) made her college debut in the circle, lasting 3.1 innings. She gave up 5 runs on 6 hits, while striking out 3. Reagan Tucker (Waxahachie, TX) came in relief and went 0.2 innings, giving up an unearned run on 1 hit. Holly Raney (Mayflower, AR) entered the game in the top of the fifth inning and went the rest of the way. The freshmen gave up only 1 hit and struck out a lone batter in the contest. Raney (1-0) got her first win of her college career in the Bucks sweep over Southeast Arkansas.

The ladies return to action on Saturday at Cummings-Cecil Field against Missouri State University - West Plains. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm. 

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