The Bucktail Bucks will challenge the Muncy Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Bucktail's favor as the team sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Muncy has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road.
On Tuesday, Bucktail came up short against Montgomery and fell 10-7. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Bucks, who until this contest were averaging 3.62 runs allowed.
Makenna Stone and Kendall Wagner did some serious damage despite the final result: Stone got on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs and two stolen bases, while Wagner went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Lola English, who earned one RBI, one run, and two stolen bases.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Muncy and Sugar Valley Rural meet (five straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. The Indians lost 24-13 to the Phoenix. Even if the Indians couldn't come away with the victory, the high-scoring effort was a great turnaround for their hitters, which had struggled int the games prior.
Sadie Odell and Sophie Maiorana stepped up to the plate in a big way. Odell went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double, while Maiorana got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those stolen bases marked the first that Odell has snagged this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Buss, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Muncy's defeat dropped their record down to 1-11. As for Bucktail, their loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 8-1 and their overall record down to 10-3.
Muncy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Bucktail hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .466. It's a different story for Muncy, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Bucktail's hitters?
Bucktail got the 'W' when the teams last played on April 9th against Muncy by a conclusive 18-0 score. Will the Bucks repeat their success, or do the Indians have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
