February 5, 2023 (Mena, Arkansas) - After losing their season opener due to this past week's weather, the Bucks were able to take the diamond on a great Sunday afternoon to be outside. The Bucks faced the Eagles from Northeast Texas Community College in Mt. Pleasant, TX at Union Bank Field. This was the season opener for both teams.

Game One

The Bucks couldn't produce the big inning in Game One, scoring 4 runs on 9 hits, when getting runners on with less than 2 outs. The Bucks took the lead 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning on a Hayden Koller (Texarkana, TX) RBI single to right field, but the lead was short lived as the Eagles scored 3 runs in both the third and fourth innings off starter Jacob Pannell (Fayetteville, AR). Pannell's final line was 4.0 innings pitched with 6 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits, while striking out and walking a pair in the loss.

The Bucks would produce a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, trailing 7-1. After a leadoff triple by Brett Justice (Jacksonville, AR), catcher Jimmy Mathis (Grandview, TX) hit a RBI double to left field with no outs. After a walk and an out, Cooper White (Benton, AR) grounded out to the right side to score Mathis to cut the lead to 7-3 after five. NTCC plated another run in the top of the sixth inning before the Bucks scratched across a run of their own. With 1 out and runners at second and third, Hayden Koller scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-4, which would be the final score.

Relief pitcher Jack Henry Pettit (Brookland, AR) threw 3.0 innings, giving up a pair of runs on 4 hits. He would strikeout 4 hitters in the outing.

Game Two

The Bucks wanted to pick up the win to split on the day, but a rough start ended up turning in to a 12-2 loss. The Bucks trailed 5-0 after just an inning and would be down 7-0 before plating their first run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Caleb Bryant (North Little Rock, AR) walked to start the inning and stole second base during the next at-bat. He advanced to third on a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch. The Bucks final run of the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning on a Jimmy Mathis RBI double with 2 outs to left field. to make it 7-2, but the Eagles added 5 more runs in the top of the nineth inning to win 12-2. 

Relief pitcher Kirk Martinson (Shreveport, LA) was a bright spot on the mound for the Bucks. The freshmen threw 6.1 innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. He would strikeout 9 and only walk 1 in the outing. 

The Bucks are back in action on Tuesday, February 7th, at Seminole State College in Seminole, OK. First pitch is scheduled for 2 pm.

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