SBL Bucs Offense carries them to 15-12 win in Slugfest

Rowan Terran makes contact with the ball against the Field Rats Sunday, June 19, 2022. Photo by Maddy Whiting

The SBL Bucs defeated the Field Rats 15-12 after a four hour league-game on Sunday afternoon at Monarch Stadium.

The Bucs fell behind early on, with starting RHP Xavier Stoker (1-0) giving up three runs in the first inning to put the Bucs in an early hole. The Bucs offense would come back with a force however in the second inning, tallying 7 runs on 3 hits to gain a 4 run advantage.

Stoker would bounce back with four scoreless innings after his initial struggle in the 1st, allowing the Bucs to build a big lead and coming away as the winning pitcher in today’s game.

Jack Bickerton got the offense started with a triple, which would be followed up by an Anthony Chavez double to give the Bucs their first run. After two walks, a Rowan Terran 3-RBI double would give the Bucs their first lead.

Kai Moran blew the inning open with his first home run of the season over the right field wall, a three run shot which would bring the lead to 7-3 in the 2nd. The Bucs would follow up a monster 2nd inning with a five-run third inning that included 6 hits, 5 singles from the 5-9 hitters in the order and another rbi double from Rowan Terran to give the Bucs a commanding 13-3 lead.

The Bucs lead would not be safe for long however, as the Field Rats would score 5 runs in the 6th inning and four in the 7th to bring the score to 14-12.

“Pitching when you get behind is hard and when things start going wrong, you walk a couple of guys and hit a couple of guys and then we get this self-fulfilling spiral down the rabbit hole,” said Coach Evan O’Meara.

The Bucs would add an insurance run in the bottom 7th after Rowan Terran scored on a wild pitch, to bring the lead back up to 3 runs.

Terran would go 3 for 5 on the day and hit two doubles that brought in four runners, providing a lot of offense for the Bucs from the leadoff spot.

“Today I was focused on seeing the ball well and my dad came out here to watch so I wanted to put on a show for him,” Terran said.

Relief Pitcher Mason Kim would close the game for the pirates, pitching a scoreless 8th and 9th to secure the win after a furious Field Rats rally.The save was Mason’s second of the season.

The Bucs will look to continue their winning ways when they take on the IE Bucs on Tuesday at LAVC at 4pm.