Friday, May 06, 2005

CHARLESTON, S.C. (May 6, 2005) - The Citadel hit four homers, accounting for six of their eight runs in a 8-5 victory over East Tennessee State in the opener of a key Southern Conference series Friday evening from Riley Park in Charleston, S.C.

            The Bucs (26-15, 11-13 SoCCon) took the early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning. With one out, junior right fielder Shane Byrne (Johnson City, Tenn.) walked and senior catcher Caleb Moore (Knoxville, Tenn.) followed with a two-run homer over the left-center field wall, hit 13^th of the season.

            The Citadel (17-29, 7-15 SoCon) tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the second. Matt Covington hit a two-run single to center with two outs, scoring Josh Stackley and Jon Aughey.

            The Bulldogs took the lead with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Matt Matulia led off the inning with a solo home run and Chris Ard later hit a three-run shot, also scoring Covington and Chance Smith.

            East Tennessee State immediately responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, cutting the Bulldog lead to 6-5. With one out, freshman third baseman Anthony Russell (Waldorf, Md.) walked and junior left fielder Josiah Glafenhein (Knoxville, Tenn.) followed with a single to right. Junior shortstop Chuck Hargis (Powell, Tenn.) then stepped to the plate and hit his fourth home run of the season, a three-run shot over the left-center field wall.

            The Citadel added another run to its lead as Matulia hit his second homer of the game, a solo shot with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Aughey also hit a solo home run to center in the bottom of the seventh to run the Bulldog lead to 8-5.

            That was the way the game would end, as Link Saunders pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn his fourth save of the season for the Bulldogs, allowing no runs and no hits while two and striking out three. Ryan Owens (5-4) earned the win after allowing five runs on six hits in 6.2 innings, while walking five and striking out three.

            Buccaneer junior lefty Steven Calicutt (Spartanburg, S.C.) was charged with the loss, allowing eight runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings of work. He also stuck out five and walked three.

            ETSU was led at the plate by Glafenhein, who was 2-for-4 on the night. Hargis drove in three runs while Moore had two RBIs.

            For The Citadel, Covington was 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs. Matulia was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs while Aughey was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.