Buckeye breaks it open early in 11-3 win over Letcher County Central
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LET | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| BUC | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 11 |
Buckeye put the game away almost as soon as it began Thursday, riding a nine-run first inning to an 11-3 win over Letcher County Central at the Ripken Experience Complex in the Myrtle Beach Tournament.
The decisive burst came in the opening inning, when the Bucks built a 9-1 lead and never let Letcher County Central back within striking distance. Buckeye added another run in the second and one more in the sixth, finishing with 11 runs on 11 hits. Letcher County Central scored once in the first, once in the fifth and once in the seventh, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Cassy Minarchick helped pace Buckeye's offense, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI. Faith Shaw also had two hits in four at-bats and drove in two runs, while Ava Piovarchy went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Buckeye totaled nine RBIs and left four runners on base in a productive afternoon at the plate.
Olivia Piovarchy earned the win in the circle, working six innings and allowing seven hits and three runs, only one of them earned. She walked one and struck out four. Buckeye's defense played behind her despite three errors, limiting the damage enough to protect the large early lead.
Letcher County Central starter K. Bentley was charged with nine runs, four earned, in one inning. S. Stamper settled things down in relief and turned in an impressive five-inning outing, allowing two runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out 11. Even so, Buckeye's first-inning surge remained the defining sequence of the game.
Buckeye, listed as the home team, did not need to bat in the seventh after Letcher County Central scored its final run in the top half. By then, the Bucks had already done the damage, with the nine-run first inning standing as the moment that shaped the 11-3 result.
