The Buckeye Bucks will head out to take on the Lakewood Rangers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lakewood will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Buckeye extended their winning streak to three on Wednesday. The Bucks blew past Westlake 17-7.
Eleanor Shaw
| 04/16/25 vs Westlake | 4 |
| 04/15/25 vs Bay | 3 |
| 04/09/25 @ Rocky River | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ North Olmsted | 1 |
| 04/12/25 vs Hillsdale | 1 |
Juliana Melillo and Eleanor Shaw did most of the damage at the plate: Melillo got on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Shaw went a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI and one double. Those four hits gave Shaw a new career-high. Kelsey Metter was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Buckeye was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .531. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher in five consecutive contests.
While Lakewood didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-10), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by a 26-5 margin over Valley Forge on Tuesday. The Rangers haven't had any issues with the Patriots recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Carys Crone made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off three hits. Crone was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-5. She also put up a double, which was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Marissa Showers was incredible, going 4-for-5 with four runs and five RBI. Another player making a difference was Jada Goings, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Buckeye pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Lakewood, their record is now 5-2.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Buckeye hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .400. However, it's not like Lakewood struggles in that department as they've averaged .346. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Buckeye's way against Lakewood when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Buckeye made off with a 16-5 victory. Will the Bucks repeat their success, or do the Rangers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
