HS Baseball: Bucks keep hitting in 11-8 win over Lakers

Rangeley’s Nolan Boone is tagged out by Buckfield’s Matt Beaucage after Boone tried to advance from second abd ended the inning during Tuesday’s game in Buckfield.

BUCKFIELD — The 11 runs Buckfield scored on Rangeley Tuesday seems small compared the 63 it had put up over its three previous games against Forest Hills and Valley.

What distinguished the Bucks’ production in their 11-8 win over the Lakers is that everyone contributed at least one hit.

“That’s the first time that’s happened this year,” Buckfield coach Larry Thornton said of everyone getting in the hit column. “We’ve really been swinging the stick really good. It’s not just coming from a couple of guys, it’s coming from one through nine. And that’s a great thing to see, especially today, even though we didn’t score 20-something runs.

Ethan Jackson led Buckfield’s 15-hit attack with two hits, including the lone extra base hit, a double, scored three runs and picked up the win on the mound. Shane St. Pierre, Tyler Sullivan, Matt Beaucage Dylan Harvey and Simon Burch also had two hits apiece. Jake Kraske and Sullivan drove in two runs apiece.

Kyle LaRochelle led the Lakers with three hits, including a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Bo Beaulieu and Hunter Lowell each added a double and a single.

“We’re still struggling putting seven solid innings together,” Rangeley coach Jeff LaRochelle said. “We’ve got to get through it. There’s still plenty of time. What was good was today the bats kind of woke up.”

Trailing 3-2 entering the fourth, the Bucks (7-4) sent nine men to the plate in a five-run fourth and 10 more to the dish in a four-run fifth. RBI singles by Kraske, Merrill and Sullivan highlighted the fourth as they took a 7-3 lead.

After the Lakers (4-3) got a run back in the top of the fifth on LaRochelle’s RBI single, St. Pierre, Jackson (double) and Harvey came through with two-out RBIs to help them extend the lead to 11-4.

Rangeley got two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh. The Lakers got the tying run to the plate with two out against reliever Zach Grover in the seventh, but Grover got Cal Crosby looking at strike three to end it.

Jackson alternated 1-2-3 innings between allowing a run in the first, two in the third and one in the fifth. He started to tire in the sixth and was also victimized by the first of three Bucks’ errors.

In six innings, he struck out seven, walked one and hit two batters while allowing seven hits.

“Ethan competes like crazy. He just battles,” Thornton said. “He’s kind of the ace of the staff, and for him to go out there and do that, he’d keep pitching if I let him.”

The two teams will meet again on Friday in Rangeley.

Rangeley’s Carl Trafton can’t come up with the throw from his catcher as Buckfield’s Ethan Jackson slides into second with a stolen base and advanced to 3rd on the overthrow during Tuesday’s game in Buckfield.