Buckeye rallies late to edge Bay 6-5

Buckeye broke out in the sixth inning Tuesday and held on the rest of the way for a 6-5 road win over Bay High School in a varsity baseball game at Bay High School. The decisive moment came with the score even at 5, when Tyler Heers lifted a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to bring home the go-ahead run.

The Bucks did their biggest damage in that inning. Shane Metter delivered a two-run double to put Buckeye in position to take control, and Heers followed with the sacrifice fly that made it 6-5. Buckeye finished with 10 hits, with the bottom of the lineup helping drive the offense. Rees Perkins, Aaron Hamman and Zachary Stough combined for five hits, while Perkins, Hamman and Zach Seeley each collected two hits. Metter and Cole Burtzlaff drove in two runs apiece.

Bay grabbed the early lead in the bottom of the first. Ethan Sedivec doubled to center field to score a run, and Travis Ropelewski added another RBI on a groundout for a 2-0 advantage. Sedivec struck again in the third inning, hitting a two-run home run to center that helped Bay build its total to five runs.

Buckeye stayed within reach and got key work on the mound. Jeff Costigan started and went four innings, allowing six hits and four runs, two of them earned, while striking out three and walking one. Colton Price earned the win in relief after allowing one hit and one run, unearned, over two innings. He struck out two and walked one. Stough recorded the save to finish off the comeback.

The Bucks also helped themselves defensively, turning two double plays on a foggy 59-degree evening. Bay starter Will Schrock took the loss after throwing 5 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Buckeye, playing as the visiting team, improved its night with a complete effort that blended timely hitting, relief pitching and late execution when the game was on the line.