Baseball Game Preview: University Hawks vs. Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneers

University has gone 9-1 against Buckhannon-Upshur recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Hawks will be playing in front of their home fans against the Buccaneers at 5:00 p.m. University has given up an average of 7.2 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

University's last matchup with Bridgeport could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's matchup on Wednesday. The Hawks lost 11-4 to the Indians. The Hawks' defeat signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.

James Bryner was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in March.

Brance McCune

Runs

04/23/25 vs Bridgeport	2
04/19/25 vs Huntington	2
04/16/25 vs Lincoln	2
04/07/25 vs John Marshall	2
03/29/25 @ Hampshire	2
+ 6 more games

At the plate, Brance McCune made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two runs and two doubles. He has become a key player for University: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 6-10 otherwise.

Meanwhile, Buckhannon-Upshur might've scored the first runs on Wednesday, but it was Point Pleasant who claimed the real prize. The Buccaneers fell 8-5 to the Big Blacks. The Buccaneers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Brody McDaniels was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two doubles and one RBI. Luke Kesling was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

University now has a losing record of 10-11. As for Buckhannon-Upshur, their loss dropped their record down to 7-10.