TENNERTON – The Buckhannon-Upshur baseball Buccaneers 10-runned their second opponent in as many days to start the season after downing the Preston Knights by a 16-6 score in five innings of action Tuesday evening at William E. Phillips Memorial Field.
The Bucs collected just five hits in the win but took advantage of 10 walks and seven hit batsmen to improve their record to 2-0.
The Bucs stole 21 bases in the victory.
“We have a lot of speed and we were able to steal a lot of bases today,” stated Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Adam Squires. “We didn’t hit the ball well as a team so those extra bases really helped us manufacture some runs when we needed them.”
For B-U starting catcher Ian Donnen, one of seven seniors on the team, he said the hard work they have put in over the last four years has paid off on their 2-0 start to the season.
“We’ve been working hard for the past few years, and all the late nights and early mornings are starting to pay off,” stated Donnen. “Our group of seniors is high energy and has a lot of experience working for us to be 2-0 on the season. For me personally, I’ve dedicated the last four years of my life to this team, and it means a lot to be able to have a hot start to the season. We hope the momentum keeps up through the season and into sectional play.”
The Bucs struck first in the bottom of the second when Ryan Snyder reached first on a dropped third strike, stole second and third and raced home on a Preston error.
Preston tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third on a solo home run by Mason Chaney, but the Bucs answered with a pair of runs in their half of the inning when Zach Calef-Boring scored on a passed ball and Landon Marple trotted home from third base on a balk.
Preston added another run in the top of fourth making it a 3-2 game.
The Bucs blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth scoring seven runs sending 13 batters to the plate. That treated them to a 10-2 lead.
Preston chased across four runs in the top of the fifth making it a 10-6 game.
Buckhannon-Upshur responded with six runs in their half of the fifth ending the game on the 10-run mercy rule when Clint Crites scored on a walk-off single.
Payton Bennett led the B-U offense with two hits while knocking in four runs.
Calef-Boring picked up the win on the mound for the Bucs.
He started the game and went 3 1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on one hit while striking out three.
Preston collected just two hits getting one each from Chaney and Brier Peaslee.
Jackson Turner started the game for the Knights and suffered the loss going three innings and giving up three earned runs on one hit.
The Bucs will be back in action Thursday at North Marion, who will enter the game with an 0-2 mark.
First pitch is slated for 5 p.m.
The boxscore:
Preston 001 14 – 6
Buckhannon-Upshur 012 76 – 16
E – Preston 4; Buckhannon-Upshur 1. DP – Buckhannon-Upshur 1. LoB – Preston 10; Buckhannon-Upshur 6. 2B – Bennett. HR – Chaney. SB – Marple 5, Hamer 3, Rice 3, Crites 2, Snyder 2, Calef-Boring 2, Bennett 2, Bryant 1, Runyon 1.
Hitting
Preston – Brady McNew 1b, 2 0 0 0; Robbie Lowe 2b, 4 0 0 0; Mason Chaney cf, 2 1 1 3; Caleb Wharton ss-p-lf, 2 0 0 0; Jackson Turner p-ss, 2 0 0 0; Lucas McVicker dh, 2 1 0 0; Brier Peaslee rf-p, 3 1 1 0; Nathan Adams c, 1 2 0 0; Wyatt Moyer 3b, 0 1 0 1; Nathaniel Belanger lf, 0 0 0 0. Totals 18 6 2 4.
Buckhannon-Upshur – Zach Calef-Boring p-2b, 3 2 1 2; Drahden Rice 2b, 0 1 0 0; Elijah Bryant rf, 3 1 0 1; Landon Marple cf, 1 3 1 0; Ian Donnen c, 3 1 1 0; Payton Bennett lf, 3 2 2 4; Brayden Hamer ss, 2 1 0 0; Ryan Snyder 1b-p, 1 1 0 0; Wyatt Mason p, 0 0 0 1; Clint Crites 3b, 1 2 0 1; Tucker Burr 2b, 1 0 0 0; Jaden Westfall 2b, 2 0 0 1; Blake Runyon pr, 0 1 0 0; Gage Parsons pr, 0 1 0 0. Totals 20 16 5 10.
Pitching
Preston – Turner (L, 0-1): 3 innings, 1 hit, 4 runs, 3 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch, 1 balk, 4 hit batsmen; Wharton: 2/3 of an inning, 1 hit, 6 runs, 6 earned runs, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts, 1 wild pitch, 3 hit batsmen; Peasiee 2/3 of an inning 3 hits, 6 runs, 3 earned runs, 4 walks, 0 strikeouts.
Buckhannon-Upshur – Calef-Boring (W, 1-0): 3 1/3 innings, 1 hit, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts, 2 hit batsmen (Wharton, Moyer); Snyder: 1 inning, 1 hit, 4 runs, 4 earned runs, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts; Mason: 2/3 of an inning, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout.
