Baseball Game Preview: Bauxite Miners vs. Smackover Buckaroos

The Bauxite Miners will face off against the Smackover Buckaroos at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Bauxite is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.3 runs per game this season.

Bauxite barely beat Mayflower the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Bauxite's pitcher stepped up to hand Mayflower a 10-0 shutout on Thursday. The Miners haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Kade Deno

Hits (Career)

03/13/25 @ Mayflower	3
03/10/25 vs Central	2
03/07/25 vs Glen Rose	2
03/26/24 vs Robinson	2
03/05/24 vs Clinton	2

Kade Deno was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, 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 stellar in the batter's box, 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, Bauxite let Ethan Kelley and Tony Fox run wild. 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. Fox is becoming a predictor of Bauxite's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Ryan Hoskins, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Bauxite was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .476. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .394 or higher in five consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 17 runs the game before, Smackover was a bit more limited in their game on Tuesday. They came up short against Camden Fairview, falling 12-2.

Bauxite's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Smackover, they now have a losing record of 2-3.

Bauxite suffered a grim 12-4 defeat to Smackover when the teams last played back in March of 2016. Will Bauxite have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.