The Alliance Aviators will face off against the Buckeye Bucks at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Alliance barely beat Heartland Christian the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Aviators were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Lions on Saturday. The win continues a trend for the Aviators in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won four in a row.
Koan Hendershot
| 05/23/26 vs Heartland Christian | 3 |
| 05/21/26 vs Cuyahoga Falls | 2 |
| 03/27/26 vs John F. Kennedy Catholic | 2 |
| 04/27/26 @ Ursuline | 1 |
| 04/21/26 @ West Branch | 1 |
Koan Hendershot was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and one run. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brodee Bugara, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Charles Ekey was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Alliance kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Buckeye had no problem doing just that on Thursday. They never let the Pirates get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Bucks considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Alliance's win bumped their record up to 18-10. As for Buckeye, their victory bumped their record up to 18-9.
Alliance couldn't quite finish off Buckeye in their previous matchup back in April and fell 5-3. Can the Aviators avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
