By Staff
For the first time in 17 years, the Buchanan varsity baseball team defended its home field and won the Buck Classic Saturday afternoon.
The Bucks hosted Eau Claire, Parchment and Bronson for a four-team tournament and came out ahead of the field, winning their own title for the first time since 1987.
Buchanan beat Eau Claire 18-0 in the first game of the day and then came back to beat Bronson 3-0 in the championship contest.
It took Buchanan (2-0) only four innings to earn a spot in the title game. The Bucks scored two runs in the first inning against Eau Claire and then went on to score three more in the second. The floodgates opened in the third inning when Buchanan scored seven runs and added six more in the fourth to end the contest.
While the offense was racking up runs, Jeremy Lucas was earning his first win, a no-hit shutout for Buchanan. He struck out eight batters in four innings.
Kyle Tracey and Kyle Cornwell each went 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple. Tracey brought in three runs. Aaron Koziel went 2-for-3 and scored three times. Justin Helt added a double.
Bronson dismissed Parchment 12-2 in the second game of the tournament to set up the title showdown with the host Bucks. In the consolation game, Parchment ran away with an 18-3 victory over Eau Claire.
Buchanan again got off to a good start in the championship game. After a scoreless first inning, the Bucks plated two runs in the top of the second inning and one more in the third.
Josh Wahlstrom threw a two-hit shutout through five innings when the game was halted due to the weather. He struck out seven batters.
Travis Reith led the Bucks at the plate with a hit and two RBIs.
Buchanan travels to Bloomingdale Wednesday.