After opening their season with two wins, the Buckskins experienced a stretch of three tough losses, but broke that streak with last Thursday's win over Lebanon.
The Bucks came out swinging in the 10-4 victory, racking up 13 hits against the Cedars, sending four runs over the plate in the second and never relinquishing the lead.
Hitting highlights were plentiful; Jayden Taitano put up two hits in three quality at bats, Nathan Scheid added three hits with two RBIs, Jarrett Imler and Carson Crouse each added a pair of RBIs, and Keegan Martin suppled two hits.
Scheid got win, throwing four innings, striking out five.
Wednesday, April 3, the club took a trip to LS where the Pioneers dealt them a 10-3 loss.
The contest started well for the Bucks, thanks largely to Scheid, who drove in two runners in his first at bat of the day with a line drive to center.
The Pioneers' retaliation came slowly but surely, collecting runs in every inning but one, saving their biggest scoring surge for a five-run bottom of the sixth.
Gavin Horning cranked a triple in the sixth for CV, and completed his trip around the bases on a single from Scheid, who ended the day with two hits and three RBIs.
Keegan Martin took the loss after five innings of work, including one strikeout and three walked batters.
Monday night's 8-2 loss to Solanco was a night of strong hitting on both sides with 20 hits split evenly between the two clubs, but it was the Mules who were able to capitalize, earning a 4-0 advantage after three at bats, and sustaining the lead through all seven.
Imler was saddled with the loss after five innings, striking out five and walking three over the course of five innings.
"The team continues to work hard," encouraged head coach Jeffrey Craig. "We need to sure up a few small areas on defense, but overall the guys are doing a nice job."
The previous Friday held a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Elizabethtown.
The Bucks led early on, but the Bears leveled the score at four in the bottom of the fourth, and the teams remained in a deadlock into an extended eighth inning in which the Bears managed to slide the fifth run across for the walk-off win.
Eddie Hernandez supplied three of CV's eight hits, Crouse drove in two runs, and Airam Conde added an RBI.
Scheid threw six innings for the Bucks, including two strikeouts and three walks.
"We have a lot of senior leadership and they understand the game of baseball consists of ups and downs," explained Craig. "The guys continue to bring a positive attitude each day and are demonstrating growth in all areas of the game."
SOFTBALL
Softball followed the same track record as baseball, registering losses to Elizabethtown, Solanco, and Lampeter-Strasburg, but rallying for a win over Lebanon.
The Lady Bucks took down the Cedars quickly reaching the final score, 18-3, after only three innings.
Sophomore Lexi Weitzel picked up her first varsity win, throwing two strikeouts and walking one.
Olivia Mellinger led the offense with a triple and five RBI, and Alexcis Johns added a hit.
Against Elizabethtown, CV registered a one-run lead that held until the top of the fourth, when the Bears caught fire and drove in eight runs, ultimately taking the game, 10-3.
Montana Habecker did her part from inside the circle, throwing seven strikeouts and only walking two.
Despite the loss, the CV club found success at the plate with Laken Smith (3-4), Lexi Mellinger (3-4) and O. Mellinger (2-3) leading the way.
"We had too many errors and no big hits with runners in scoring position," explained head coach Larry Minney.
In their 19-9 loss to Solanco on Monday, the CV club found themselves playing catch up after the Mules took control with a 6-0 lead after one inning.
"We gave up 10 runs in the first two innings; after that it was a pretty even game" noted Minney. "We know we can hit, we just need to control our errors and stop giving up big innings."
Johns sparked a burst of momentum in the top of the second, delivering a well-placed two RBI single into right field, driving in teammates Habecker and Kahlan Ciardullo.
The scoreboard read 12-3 before an action packed fifth inning, when CV bats started to connect, racking up six of their 10 hits in the frame, rewarding them with six runs and narrowing the gap, 12-9.
Unfortunately for the Buckskins, the Mules mirrored their efforts during the subsequent at bat, driving home seven runs on five hits, extending the lead to 10, enough to halt the contest at the bottom of the fifth.
Smith's bat was hot again picking up a triple and 2 RBIs, and Ciardullo went 2-3.
The Wednesday night contest against LS resulted in a lopsided 13-0 scoreboard, but Habecker continued to be a CV highlight from the circle throwing delivering six strikeouts while only walking two.
TENNIS
In an action-packed week, CV topped Lampeter-Strasburg and Manheim Township by matching scores of 6-1, after falling to Cocalico by the same differential.
The two wins boasted many similarities with Matthew Hoy, Luke Puleo, and Tegan Lapp picking up singles wins. Owen Horst/Hoy, and Puleo/Lapp also pulled in doubles points during both matches.
Tuesday against LS, Nolan High supplied the sixth point in the CV win with his 7-5, 6-1 triumph in number four singles, and in Monday's clash with Township, High paired with Devin Gerety, and their 8-5 performance secured the CV doubles sweep.
High and Gerety were also a highlight in the Cocalico match, besting their opponents, 8-6, to bring in CV's lone win.
"The boys are looking to improve each match, and in each set of every match," explained head coach Dale Gregg. "One common thread is that each of our players tend to battle for every point, and we seem to be avoiding silly mistakes or giving away free points."
GIRLS' LACROSSE
With little time to recuperate, the girls' lacrosse team bounced back after a 18-8 loss to Lancaster Country Day / Lancaster Catholic, to take down their next two opponents Conrad Weiser and Garden Spot, before slipping to Lampeter-Strasburg.
Wednesday, April 3, CV hosted the Pioneers and came up just short,10-7. The Lady Bucks held the 6-4 advantage at the halfway mark, but the Pioneers upped their defensive game, holding the Bucks to only one second half goal while scoring six.
Abigail Morley tallied four goals, and Hannah Chadwick, Madison Buckley, and Taylor Zimmerman each netted one.
Tuesday the team pulled out an exciting, 13-11, win at Garden Spot.
"Our defense played well. We were able to slow down their main players," noted head coach Mike Chadwick. "Natalie Kiel and Miah Miller worked hard to stop crease rolls and knocked down passes. Amanda Yingling and Olivia Hess have done well sliding and shutting down the top area of the crease," he added.
Goalie Anna Kollbotn scooped up four critical saves in the win, her efforts described as "tremendous" by Chadwick.
Bella Silvaggio was tasked with marking Spot's top scorer, Kiersten Ellsworth, which was key to limiting the Spartan's effectiveness in the second half.
"The defense has helped push our offense in transition and allowed us to create scoring opportunities," elaborated Chadwick, pointing out Reese Lapp's energy as a boost to the CV transition game.
Ready to pounce on those openings was the Buckskin front line, led by five goals from Morley, four from Chadwick, and two apiece from Zimmerman and Haley Swartz.
"When they played with patience, they were more effective, and scoring opportunities increased," summarized Chadwick.
In the previous 15-3 win over Conrad Weiser, the Buckskin scoring had a similar sequence; Morley again notched five, Chadwick four, Schwartz three, Zimmerman two, and Madison Buckley, one.
Kollbotn held her ground in goal scooping up eight saves.
BOYS' LACROSSE
The boys' lacrosse team earned their first win last week, overcoming Wyomissing, before narrow losses to both Conrad Weiser and Lampeter-Strasburg.
At Wyomissing, both clubs registered 21 shots on goal, but CV proved to be more accurate, prevailing 10-6, scoring in all four periods.
Wyomissing got ahead early, so CV had to rally a comeback, sparked by back-to-back successful attacks.
"We had to react. It took the individual efforts of Will Stone and Charles Braught, they scored consecutive goals that got us back into the game," credited head coach Cameron Tough. "We started to put together the aspects of the game we have worked on for the past couple weeks."
Brought finished the day with five goals, followed by two from Stone, and one apiece from Steven Emerson, Zachary Fisher, and Logan Weaver.
In a tight, triple overtime 10-9 loss to Conrad Weiser, it was Ryan Querry that led the Buckskin offense, netting four goals, accompanied by two from Gage McClune, while Fisher, Stone, and Braught who each chipped in one.
"We saw the same effort from our guys that we saw against Wyomissing in regards to coming back after an early goal deficit, but we couldn't capitalize on opportunities on offense," described Tough.
Parker Graff worked the midfield, transitioning chances to advance the Buckskin offense.
"We kept receiving more opportunities from our face off player, Parker," noted Tough. "We have been working on putting the pieces together with our offense and taking advantage of the chances that we get."
Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Pioneers was once again as close as it could get, with CV working their way back from a 3-0 deficit to almost overtake LS in the third period where they put in four of their five goals.
Querry picked up a hat trick, while Braught and McClune each chipped in one goal.
CV's no-quit attitude was demonstrated in their 22 shots on goal, as well on the defensive end where goalie, Andrew Roland, snatched up six saves, bringing his total saves in the three contests to 20.
VOLLEYBALL
Boys' volleyball picked up their first win of the season last week with a three-set sweep over McCaskey on Thursday (25-16, 25-13, 25-20).
Carlos Barbosa's seven kills and three aces paced the offense, with an additional seven kills from Robbie Krasinski, fed by 23 assists from Tanner Shertzer. Marco Gonzales supplied 11 digs, and Jayden Rice put up four blocks.
Two days earlier the Bucks lost a battle against Hempfield. The Knights took charge early on in the three-set match (25-16, 25-22, 25-11), but the Bucks showed a fighting spirit, rallying for a close second set.
Sawyer Shertzer led the team with 12 kills, 8 digs and a block, while T. Shertzer supplied 21 assists.
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