(April 23, 2026) Mena, Arkansas - After dropping all four games last week to #22 Western Oklahoma State College, the Bucks headed back to Arkansas with their backs against the wall and playing for their season this week against NOC-Enid. Bottom line, UARM needs to win at least 3 games in the series against the Jets to give themselves at chance at a 3-game postseason series. 

Game One

UARM struck first to start the series with a couple of runs in the bottom of the first inning. A single and a double put a pair of runners on for Yancey Steady (Baton Rouge, LA). The sophomore catcher came through on an infield single. Next at-bat, Aiden Poirier (Richmond, TX) hit a RBI single to make it 2-0 after an inning. NOC fought back in the top of the second and cut the lead to 2-1.

The Bucks got that run back in the bottom of the fourth inning on a Geovani Escandon (Plantation, FL) RBI single to right field. The inning began with Dylan Gibson (Springdale, AR) reaching on a hit-by-pitch that extended his career record. He currently has 23 on the season. 

Runs were hard to come by in the game. As the Bucks only scored 3 runs on 9 hits, but starting pitcher Connor Frith (Perryville, AR) lasted 3.2 innings and gave up 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 3. The Bucks kept working out of jams in the middle of the game to keep the Jets off the board and setup a save situation for John McCready (Chatham, MA) with a 2-run lead and 2.2 innings to go. McCready would surrender a run in the top of the seventh, but UARM would hold on for a 3-2 win. Frith (3-2) got the win, while McCready picked up his first save of the season. 

Game Two

Unlike the first game of having a lead, UARM had to battle from behind twice in the contest. Enid had a 2-1 lead after an inning and increased the lead to 4-1 after two and a half innings. The Bucks came back in the bottom of the third, led by a Geovani Escandon 2-run homer to left field. UARM would load the bases in the inning and pushed across a run to tie the game. However, NOC-Enid regained the lead in the top of the fourth and held that lead until the bottom of the eighth inning.

UARM made it 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth on a bases loaded walk by Steady, but a 3-run bottom half of the eighth gave the Bucks the lead. With the top of the line-up due up in the inning, the men took advantage of a 1-out error and capitalized on a Andrew Stancin (Fernandina, FL) RBI double. He would then score on a Ethan Miller (Hallsville, TX) RBI single. Miller would then score from first base on a Yancey Steady RBI double to make it 8-6 going into the ninth inning.

The opportunity to take the lead was made possible by a 5.0 inning relief outing by Maddox Hampton (Joneboro, AR). He would strike out 7 hitters, giving up 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits. In the top of the ninth, UARM brought on Nicholas Patterson (Leachville, AR) to get the save. The sophomore went strikeout, ground out, strikeout to end the game, giving the Bucks an 8-6 win. Hampton (5-2) picked up his team leading 5th win of the season, while Patterson made a rare relief appearance to get the save. 

UARM is now 20-30 overall on the season with a 7-15 record in Region 2. 

Now, the Bucks will travel to Enid on Saturday for a doubleheader at David Allen Memorial Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm. 

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