Swanger dominates on the mound
FARWELL, Pa. – Two young baseball teams met on the Bucktail diamond Saturday morning and Sugar Valley got the best of it, scoring early and often on the way to a 15-2, five-inning win over the homefield Bucks.
It was a trio of Phoenix sophomores who helped push Sugar Valley to the win, led by pitcher Brody Swanger. He carried a perfect game into the fourth inning, on the way to a complete-game 5-inning 2-hitter, striking out seven and issuing no walks. He faced only 17 batters, making 72 pitches, 51 of them for strikes.
Swanger helped himself at the plate, a 2-for-2 day lifting his average to .529; he also contributed two runs batted in. Fellow 10th graders Tobias Conoway and Bentley Andrus did their share; Conway, now hitting .412, had a 3-for-3 day on two singles and a double, scoring four runs and driving in one. Andrus had two singles and two RBIs and is hitting .550 on the season. Senior Grayson Hastings had a double and single, scored three runs and knocked in two and freshman Dace Hastings had a single and an RBI.
Sugar Valley touched up three Buck pitchers for 10 hits. The visitors were helped by seven walks, three hit batters and three Bucktail errors.
Angelo Tarantella had the Bucks’ first hit, a single, in the bottom of the fourth and Tyler Hilllyer singled in the fifth.
The final left both teams at 2-4 on the season. Bucktail will travel to West Branch (2-4) on Monday while the Phoenix head to Williamsport Tuesday for a game with Neumann Regional Academy (1-4). Bucktail and Sugar Valley are scheduled for their second meeting on May 6 on the Phoenix home field in Lock Haven.
SV 2 2 2 8 1 = 15-10 -0
B 0 0 0 1 1 = 2 – 2 – 3
