Thursday, March 15, 2001

Johnson City, Tenn. -- The East Tennessee State pitching staff retired the last 11 batters and combined on a five-hit, one-run performance in a 6-1 win against Eastern Kentucky at Cardinal Park.

Buc starter Tim Turner had his finest collegiate outing, earning the win after pitching 5.0 innings. The freshman allowed one run on four hits and struck out six. Reliever Jason Brotherton allowed one hit in his inning before Jackson Simerly, Josh Kite and Reid Casey hurled perfect frames to close the contest.

ETSU’s offense was paced by junior designated hitter Brandon Cross who went 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Junior Ryan Hyder also collected two RBIs on a third inning double.

After Turner set down the first three batters in order, the Bucs struck for three runs in their first at bat. Cross brought home two runs with a two-out double to right center. He later scored on a Colonel error. The Bucs added one more in the second when Scott Rose stole home.

Turner had struck out three consecutive Colonel batters before second baseman Chris Grynaviski belted a solo shot over the left field wall to get Eastern Kentucky on the board. Colonel starter Brian Engle walked the bases loaded in the third before Hyder plated two with a double down the left field line.

The Bucs return to action this weekend with a three-game series against Southern Conference rival The Citadel. The teams will start a doubleheader at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 and complete the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 18.

Additional Note: The ETSU softball doubleheader against Tennessee-Wesleyan was postponed because of rain.