Buchanan’s Jarrett Thomas delivers to the plate against Brandywine Tuesday. (Leader photo/TIMOTHY RITTER)

BUCHANAN — With a pair of victories in their final at-bats, the Bucks of Buchanan swept a conference baseball doubleheader Tuesday, April 19, from visiting Bobcats of Brandywine.

Buchanan (5-2, 2-0 BCS) won 3-2 in seven innings and 5-2 in six innings, the latter game being called by the umpires because of impending darkness.

“We got down by a run in both games and kept battling back and put ourselves in a place to win it at the end,” Bucks coach Lonnie Hoover said.

“We played very well for 10 or 11 innings, we’ve just got to learn to play for 21 outs in a game,” Brandywine coach Dave Sidenbender said after his team fell to 7-3 overall and 0-2 in the BCS. “Both our pitchers did great. That was not the problem today.”

Tuesday’s second game was very much a back-and-forth contest.

Buchanan’s Bryce Vineyard scored the game’s first run when he drew a lead-off walk and came home on a one-out single to center field by Chad Adkerson in the first inning.

Brandywine tied it at 1-all in the third inning.

Brandon Duval drew a two-out walk, stole second base and scored from second on Hunter Janowiak’s single to left.

The Bobcats went up 2-1 in the fourth inning when Mark Conrad drew a lead-off walk and scored on a one-out double to left by Brett Jacobs.

The Bucks responded in the bottom of the fourth frame and tied it 2-2. Dalton Riddle lashed a lead-off single to left and Christian Hall bashed a double that rolled to the fence in left, plating Riddle. Hall was out trying to stretch the hit into a triple.

Buchanan then loaded the bases, but were unable to get any more runs in the fourth.

The Bucks stopped a Bobcats rally in the fifth inning with an inning-ending double play — third baseman Gavin Norris to first baseman Darren Shearer.

Buchanan bunched three runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead.

Jarrett Thomas walked and later scored on an error. Riddle reached on an error and later scored on a squeeze bunt by Shearer. Hall singled to center and later scored on a single to left by Norris.

Left-hander Alex Lindamood (4 innings, 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 strikeout, 3 walks) was the Bucks starting pitcher. Right-handed sidearmer Leazenby (2-0; 2 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, 0 walks) got the victory in relief. He struck out the side in the sixth to end the game.

Right-hander Conrad (2-1; 5 innings, 5 runs, 8 hits, 2 strikeouts, 4 walks) absorbed the loss for Brandywine.

Hall (2-of-3 with one run and one RBI), Norris (2-of-3 with one RBI) were Adkerson (1-of-2 with one RBI) among the hitting stars for the Bucks.

Janowiak (2-of-3 with one RBI) and Jacobs (1-of-3 with one RBI) were among the leaders of the Brandywine attack.

A hustle play in the first inning and two-out runs in the fifth and seventh frames helped the Bucks edge the Bobcats 3-2 in Game 1.

In the first inning, Vineyard led off with a single to left field, moved from first to third on a Thomas single to right and scored on a Adkerson groundout.

In the Bucks fifth, Adkerson reached base on an error, moved to second on Riddle’s groundout, stole third base and scored with two outs on a throwing error.

In the bottom of the seventh, moments after Brandywine center fielder Zach Grishaber made a running catch in deep right-center on ball struck by Thomas, Adkerson socked a two-out double to left and scored the winning run on a wild pitch and throwing error.

Adkerson (2-of-4 with two runs and one RBI) and Vineyard (1-of-4 with one run) were Buchanan’s offensive leaders.

Pacing the Bobcats at the plate were Grishaber (1-of-3 with one run and one RBI)

Duval (1-of-3 with one RBI) and Chandler Plew (1-of-3 with one run).

Brandywine scored a two-out run in the third inning.

Grishaber singled to left and later scored on Duval’s single to left.

Two fifth-inning bunts helped the Bobcats get their second run.

Plew smacked a first-hit double to lead of the inning, moved to second on a Jeshua Wiese bunt and scored on a squeeze by Grishaber.

Right-hander Thomas was the winning pitcher.

Thomas charged off the mound, fielded a slow roller off the bat of Peel and fired to second baseman Josiah Smith, covering first base, for the second out in the seventh inning.

Right-hander Toby Fox (3-2; 7 innings, 3 runs, 8 hits, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks) was on the mound for Brandywine and took the loss.

Brandywine was back in action Wednesday, April 21, for a 4:30 p.m. doubleheader at Dowagiac. Buchanan visits Cassopolis Thursday, April 21 for a doubleheader at 4:30 p.m.