Buckeye pulls away with six-run fifth in 12-4 win over Wooster
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| WOO | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Buckeye broke open a close game with a six-run fifth inning Saturday and rolled past Wooster 12-4 at Wooster High School, turning a one-run game into a comfortable road win.
Wooster struck first in the bottom of the first when Aidan McMillan lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home a run. Buckeye answered in the second and moved in front for good when Zach Seeley singled to give the Bucks a 2-1 lead. From there, Buckeye kept pressure on the Generals with patient at-bats and aggressive baserunning.
The decisive stretch came in the top of the fifth. Buckeye scored six runs on just two hits in the inning, capitalizing on timely contact and a Wooster error. Aaron Hamman doubled in a run, an error brought home another, Shane Metter added a sacrifice fly, Jeff Costigan delivered a two-run single, and Zachary Stough drove in a run on a groundout. The outburst gave Buckeye full control and backed a pitching staff that pieced together the rest of the game.
Costigan also made the biggest impact at the plate overall. Hitting in the middle of the order, he went 2-for-4 and drove in four runs. Metter, Hamman and Seeley each finished with two hits as Buckeye totaled 10 hits. Logan Brown helped set the tone for the offense by drawing four walks, part of a 10-walk day for the Bucks. Metter stole two bases, and Buckeye finished with four steals as the team consistently created extra pressure on the bases.
On the mound, Buckeye got effective work from several arms. Tyler Heers started and allowed one run, unearned, on two hits over two innings while striking out one and walking one. Costigan earned the win after giving up one hit and one run, also unearned, across two innings with four strikeouts and one walk. Avery Conde added a scoreless inning in relief and did not allow a hit.
The win moved Buckeye through a weather-affected afternoon that included thunderstorms in Wooster. More important, the Bucks left with a complete offensive performance, using 10 hits, 10 walks and constant traffic on the bases to turn an early deficit into a 12-4 victory.
