(February 1, 2025) Youngsville, Louisiana - As we turn the page to February, the ladies continued their time at the Mardi Gras Tournament this morning and afternoon with a doubleheader. The first game of the day was against Bishop Community College out of Alabama. The day ended against Baton Rouge Community College.
Game 1 - Bishop Community College
The ladies wanted to rebound after a loss yesterday afternoon and got the start they wanted in the first inning. Starting pitcher Lindsey Smyth (Mansfield, TX) worked a 1,2,3 inning in the top half, and the Bucks scored a pair of runs in the bottom half. With the bases loaded, Louisiana native Kate Daigle (Rayne, LA) hit a sac fly to right field to score a run and advance all runners. Next at-bat, Kinley Rankin (Horatio, AR) put down a bunt that plated a run to make it 2-0 after an inning.
Bishop took advantage of some Bucks errors in the top of the second inning to tie the game at 2-2. The Bucks answered in a big way in the bottom half with a Mallory Cheek (Lumberton, TX) 2-run bomb over the centerfield fence to regain their 2-run advantage.
After a scoreless third inning, the Bucks and Bobcats started trading runs. After Bishop scored a run in the top of the fourth, the ladies added a run in the bottom half on a Linley Collins (Whitesboro, OK) RBI single. After another Bobcats run in the fifth, the Bucks got the run back on a Emily Stout (Vilonia, AR) RBI single to right field to make it 6-4 after five innings.
The Bucks found themselves in a bind in the top of the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Kamryn Uher (Prairie Grove, AR) entered the game on the cirlcle and got out of the jam with a pop out and a strikeout to end the half inning.
The ladies took advantage in the bottom half. A single, walk, and a sac bunt put runners in scoring position. Jaliyah Simmons (Muskogee, OK) delivered on a RBI single to centerfield. Next at-bat, Emma Reynolds (Cayuga, TX) singled to right field for her first RBI of the day. During the next at-bat, Simmons and Reynolds coverted on the double steal to plate another run to make it a 4-run game heading into the final inning, 9-4.
Uher returned in the seventh and worked a 1,2,3 to finish the game. Bucks win 9-4.
Lindsey Smyth (1-0) pitched 5.1 innings in the win, giving up 4 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits. The freshmen would strikeout 5 in her college debut. Kamryn Uher (1) gets the save in 1.2 innings of work.
Game 2 - Baton Rouge Community College
The Bucks wanted to continue their hot streak in the afternoon against BRCC and would. The ladies got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning with a pair runs off the bats of Jaliyah Simmons and Kate Daigle to take a 2-0 lead. Hayden White (Red Oak, OK) got the start in the circle and worked a scoreless first three innings of the game.
The Bucks gave her another run in the top of the third on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch for Kamryn Uher to lead 3-0. After the ladies went scoreless in the top of the fourth inning, Baton Rouge added a run to make it 3-1. The bats would come alive in the top of the fifth inning for the Bucks.
Once again, the bases were loaded, and Holly Raney (Mayflower, AR) reached on an error to plate the first run of the inning. After an Emily Stout squeeze bunt scored another run, Linley Collins and Jaliyah Simmons hit back-to-back RBI doubles. Then, Emma Reynolds hit a RBI single to round out the scoring in the inning.
Baton Rouge didn't go down without a fight and scored a run to extend the game in the bottom half, but the Bucks once again answered with a pair of runs to put the game out of reach. Raney hit a 1-out RBI double, then Collins hit a 2-out RBI single to make it 11-2.
Hayden White (1-0) finished out her complete game to get her first college win in the circle. She would work 6.0 innings, giving up a pair of runs on 5 hits. White would strike out 3 and walk 3 in the outing.
The Bucks will now turn their attention to #6 Northwest Florida State College tomorrow at 10 am before returning home.
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