The Smackover Buckaroos will head out on the road to challenge the Bauxite Miners at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Smackover has given up an average of 6.8 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Smackover is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 17 runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Camden Fairview on Tuesday. They came up short against the Cardinals, falling 12-2.
Meanwhile, while Bauxite put up some runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Mayflower. Bauxite was the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Mayflower. The result was nothing new for the Miners, who have now won four matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Kade Deno made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples and two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Ethan Kelley and Tony Fox did most of the damage at the plate: Kelley scored three runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Fox went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Bauxite is undefeated when Fox posts two or more runs, but 1-2 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Heidelberg, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Bauxite always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
Bauxite's record is now 4-2. As for Smackover, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Everything went Smackover's way against Bauxite in their previous meeting back in March of 2016, as Smackover made off with a 12-4 win. Does Smackover have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bauxite turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
