Baseball Recap: Bucktail Victorious

Bucktail took a 17-run loss the last time they faced off against Sugar Valley Rural, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Bucktail skirted past Sugar Valley Rural 8-6. For the Bucks, this counts as revenge for the 24-7 victory the Phoenix walked away with the last time they faced one another back in May of 2024.

Keller Friese made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out 12 batters over 5.1 innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 1-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.

Ethan Kalafut

Doubles (Career)

03/28/25 vs Sugar Valley Rural	2
03/24/25 vs Millville	1
05/06/24 vs Millville	1
04/19/24 vs Columbia Montour Vo-Tech	1

In other batting news, Ethan Kalafut was incredible, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Gavin Pick was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.

The win got Bucktail back to even at 1-1. As for Sugar Valley Rural, they dropped their record down to 0-3 with the defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season.

Looking ahead, Bucktail will host Neumann Regional Academy at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. As for Sugar Valley Rural, they will venture away from home to challenge East Juniata at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.