Saturday, February 23, 2002

Johnson City, Tenn. (February 23, 2002) - East Tennessee State's baseball team (2-3) won their first games of the season in a doubleheader against the North Carolina A & T Aggies (5-13) by the scores of 6-1 and 8-7 in Kingsport, Tenn. at Hunter Wright Stadium. A complete game from pitcher Reid Casey (Kingsport, Tenn.) and homerun from designated hitter Bryan Crouse (Kingston, Tenn.) helped the Buccaneers win the first game. In the second inning, Jeffrey King of North Carolina A & T scored the first run off an ETSU error. In the bottom of the same inning, Crouse hit a solo shot over the wall in right center field to tie the game at 1-1. This is the first homerun by the Bucs this season. ETSU took the lead in the fourth inning when Jeremy Terry (Cumberland, Ky.) singles to score Kirk Keithley (Peoria, Ill.). In the fifth, the Bucs took advantage of three Aggie errors to score four more runs to win the game 6-1. Casey pitched a complete game, allowed one run and four hits. Crouse ended the game with two runs scored, two hits, and two runs batted in. In game two, ETSU had a 5-1 lead going into the fourth inning when the Aggies' bats came alive. Catcher Justin Hall scored two runners off a double to centerfield. Eric Jones then brings Hall home. North Carolina A&T would score four more times to take the lead 6-5. To tie the game at 6-6, ETSU's Justin Clear (Lafollette, Tenn.) walked and then scored on an error by the Aggies' first baseman. Freshman Davis Burklin (Knoxville, Tenn.), pinch hitting for Clear, hit a single to center that allowed Keithley to score the winning run. The Bucs sweep the doubleheader with the 8-7 win over the Aggies. Scott Rose (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.) went 2-for-4 and batted two runs in. Matt Traylor (Knoxville, Tenn.) was 1-for-3 with two runs scored. Jarrod Hyder (Elizabethton, Tenn.) was credited with the win in game two. Hyder pitched three innings, allowed no hits, no runs, and faced 11 batters. The Bucs conclude their series with North Carolina A & T on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Kingsport, Tenn. at Hunter Wright Stadium.