Sunday, April 20, 2008

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 20, 2008) - The ETSU baseball team dropped the rubber match in a slugfest to Belmont on a wet Sunday afternoon at Cardinal Park, 17-11.

 

ETSU (11-29, 8-16) was out hit 15-11, but had five home runs on the game. The Bucs three errors led to five unearned runs, and each team left five runners stranded.

 

Belmont jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a Brandon McCall two-run home run to left. The Bucs answered in the bottom of the first after a Troy Mendez (Roswell, Ga.) double and an Anthony Russell (Waldorf, Md.) walk, Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) crushed a ball over the left field fence to give ETSU a 3-2 lead.

 

The Bruins tied things up in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by Derek Hamblen to make the score 3-3. In the bottom of the second, the Bucs retook the lead as Nick Belcher (Abingdon, Va.) teed off on one for his fifth home run of the year. Later in the inning Mendez singled to right driving in Chris Rankhorn (Gallatin, Tenn.) to give the Bucs a 5-3 lead. Russell capped off the second as he hit a two-run monster shot to left field to make the score 7-3.

 

In the top of the third, Belmont scored three runs on two Buc errors and a sacrifice fly by Matt Zeblo to cut the ETSU lead to 7-6. The Bruins tied things up again in the top of the fourth on a sac fly to left by McCall to make the score 7-7.

 

Belmont took the lead in the top of the fifth on a grounder to short by Bryan Taylor as Daniel Wagner came in to score to give the Bruins an 8-7 lead. Belmont would score two more in the inning on a double down the left field line by Hamblen to increase its lead to 10-7.

 

In the top of the sixth, the Bruins scored two more runs on a RBI triple by Derek Wiley and a RBI single by Wagner to make the score 12-7.

 

Hoilman continued his hot hitting in the bottom of the sixth as he blasted a three-run shot to left center to cut the Bruins lead to 12-10. The Bruins added to their lead in the top of the ninth on a RBI single by Zeblo, RBI doubles by Packy Elkins and McCall and a two-run home run by Testa to make the score 17-10.

 

In the bottom of the ninth, Hoilman hit his third home run of the day as he hit a solo shot over the right field fence to cut the Bruins lead to 17-11.

 

Russell's home run in the second inning was his 16^th of the season and puts him first in the Atlantic Sun in home runs, and 2^nd nationally. Mendez and Belcher each had good days for the Bucs as Mendez went 3-for-5 and Belcher was 2-for-4.

 

The Bucs are back in next week as they will head to Knoxville, Tenn. for a midweek game against Tennessee as they Bucs will look to sweep the Vols for the second time in three years.

 

Belmont 17, ETSU 11 (April 20, 2008 at Johnson City, Tenn.)
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BU..............213  132  005   -  17  15  1  (15-24, 11-13 A-Sun)

ETSU..........340  003  001   -  11  11  3   (11-29, 8-16 A-Sun)

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Pitchers: ETSU - Matt McGahey; Josh Means (5); Chas Byrne (6)

BU - Nate Woods; Dave Swinehart (7); Jimmy Stanley (8)

Win - Nate Woods (2-2) Loss - Josh Means (1-7)

HR - ETSU - Paul Hoilman 3(6); Nick Belcher (5); Anthony Russell (16)

BU - Brandon McCall (3); Carlo Testa (2)