Buckeye rallies in sixth inning to beat Alliance 5-3
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| ALL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Buckeye broke a tie with a two-run sacrifice fly and added an insurance run in the sixth inning Monday, pulling away for a 5-3 varsity baseball win over Alliance at Alliance High School.
The Bucks grabbed the first lead in the second inning when Tyler Heers grounded out and brought home a run. Jeff Costigan added to the advantage in the fourth, sending a solo home run to left field to make it 2-0. Alliance answered in the fifth, tying the game when Bo Davis homered to left and drove in two runs for the Aviators.
Buckeye responded in the top of the sixth with the decisive sequence. Cole Burtzlaff lifted a sacrifice fly that scored two runs and snapped the 2-2 deadlock. Zachary Stough followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 5-2, giving the Bucks the cushion they needed late.
Stough also earned the win in relief. The right-hander worked 2 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out three without a walk. Shane Metter made the start and went 4 2/3 innings, giving up three hits and two runs with one strikeout and four walks. Metter also helped at the plate, finishing with two hits.
Costigan joined Metter with a two-hit day and supplied one of Buckeye's biggest swings with his solo homer. Costigan, Burtzlaff, Stough and Heers each drove in a run as the Bucks pieced together enough offense to support the pitching staff. Alliance got one hit each from DiAngelo Fisk, Charlie Ekey, Lincoln Reese, Davis and Kam Burton, with Davis leading the way in the middle of the order.
The win gave Buckeye a solid road result to open the week, built on timely hitting and steady work on the mound from Metter and Stough. When the game tightened in the fifth, the Bucks answered immediately in the next inning and held off Alliance the rest of the way.
