Buckeye rolls past North Olmsted 15-4 behind fast start, big fifth inning
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 15 |
| NOR | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Buckeye took control in the first inning and never gave it back Wednesday, beating North Olmsted 15-4 in a conference game at North Olmsted High School. The decisive stretch came early, when the Bucks scored five times in the opening frame, and again in the fifth, when they broke the game open with six more runs on four hits.
Buckeye set the tone right away. Costigan drew a walk to force in a run, Stough followed with an RBI single, and Aaron Hammans delivered one of the game’s key moments with a two-run triple. The Bucks added another run in the second after Stough drew a walk, then pushed across one more in the third on a passed ball to make it 7-1.
The biggest inning came in the fifth. Costigan singled home a run, Cole Burtzlaff added an RBI double, and Stough brought in another with a groundout. Rees Perkins later drew a bases-loaded walk, and Brown capped the rally with a two-run single as Buckeye stretched the margin for good.
Buckeye finished with 12 hits and showed patience throughout, drawing 10 walks. Costigan, Metter, Burtzlaff and Seeley each collected two hits. Stough led the Bucks with three RBIs despite going 1-for-2, while Brown helped drive the offense with two walks and two RBIs in the fifth-inning outburst. On the bases, Buckeye stayed aggressive, stealing seven bags. Costigan, Metter and Brown each swiped multiple bases.
Costigan earned the win, allowing two hits and four runs over three innings while striking out four and walking five. Price followed with two scoreless innings in relief, giving up no hits, striking out three and walking one.
North Olmsted got hits from Lane and Jamison, and Lane, Jamison and Burger each drove in a run. Bautista drew two walks for the Eagles. But Buckeye’s early pressure, extra-base hits from Hamman, Burtzlaff and Perkins, and steady production through the middle innings kept the Bucks in command from the start.
