Friday, May 13, 2005

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 13, 2005) - East Tennessee State won game one of a Southern Conference baseball doubleheader against Davidson, 8-3, before falling in game two, 10-9, Friday afternoon from Cardinal Park in Johnson City, Tenn.

            The Bucs (28-19, 13-16 SoCon) took the lead in game one with a solo home run by junior first baseman Blake Church (Roswell, Ga.) in the bottom of the second.

            Davidson (25-21, 13-14 SoCon) responded immediately, tying the game with a run in the top of the third. With one out, Michael Muniz singled to right and scored on a subsequent double by Andrew Musashe.

            East Tennessee State took control over the final five innings, scoring in every frame. Senior catcher Caleb Moore (Knoxville, Tenn.) led off the fourth with a solo home run, his 14^th of the season.

            The Bucs scored two runs in the fifth on a two-run homer by freshman third baseman Anthony Russell (Waldorf, Md.). Senior designated hitter Nick Crowe (Johnson City, Tenn.) then drove in a run with a single up the middle in the bottom of the sixth.

            With ETSU leading 5-1, the Wildcats rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh to cut the Buccaneer advantage to two runs. Sam Navarro was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Muniz followed with a two-run homer over the centerfield wall.

            But that was as close as the Wildcats would get, as ETSU scored two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to ice the game. Sophomore catcher John Weddle (Knoxville, Tenn.) led off the seventh by belting a solo home run to center, the first of his career. Sophomore centerfielder Stephen Douglas (Kennesaw, Ga.) later hit an infield single, scoring junior shortstop Chuck Hargis (Powell, Tenn.). 

            The Bucs scored their final run as Russell crossed the plate on an RBI single by Hargis in the eighth.

            ETSU lefty starter Brian Lovett (Knoxville, Tenn.) turned in a strong performance, earning the win (4-4) by allowing one run on five hits in six innings of work. He also walked four and struck out seven in the victory. Moore worked the final two innings for his 11^th save of the season, not allowing a baserunner and striking out two.

            Rob Wilson was charged with the loss (5-5) for Davidson, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits over the first 5.1 innings.

            Hargis went 3-for-5 to lead the Bucs while Russell scored two runs and drove in two. Three Wildcats had two hits and Muniz drove in two and scored twice.

            Davidson took an early 3-0 advantage in game two, scoring single runs in each of the first three innings. Jay Heafner hit an RBI single in the first, Rob Wilson hit an RBI double in the second and Ronnie Shore scored in the third as Gregory Zage reached on an error.

            East Tennessee State cut the Wildcat lead to one with two runs in the bottom of the third. After ETSU loaded the bases with no outs, Moore reached on an error to drive in a run. With one out in the inning, Church was hit by a pitch to force in another run.

            The Wildcats plated six runs in the top of the fifth to take a 9-2 lead. Heafner, Navarro and Alex Entrekin hit RBI singles in the inning while Wilson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The final two runs of the inning scored on a two-run homer to right by Muniz.

            But the Bucs rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth and three runs in the sixth. Douglas crushed a two-run homer over the right field wall in the fifth, his fourth of the season. In the sixth, Hargis hit an RBI double while Moore and junior right fielder Shane Byrne (Johnson City, Tenn.) drove in a runs with groundouts.

            The game got interesting as the Bucs scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to trim Davidson's lead to 9-8. Church walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a sac bunt by senior left fielder Ryan Spriggs (Crossville, Tenn.). The next batter, junior second baseman Greg Roberts (Douglas, Ga.) reached on an error allowing Church to score from second.

            East Tennessee State tied the game in the bottom of the eighth as Church hit a clutch RBI single with two outs, scoring Byrne from second.

            Davidson regained the lead in the top of the ninth and scored the decisive run as Entrekin belted a solo homer with one out.

            Heafner earned the win (1-2), pitching the final two innings and allowing one run on three hits while striking out three. Moore was charged with the loss (6-2) for ETSU, pitching three innings and allowing one run on three hits.

            Hargis led the Bucs again in game two, going 3-for-6 with two runs scored while Church was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.

            Heafner went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and Entrekin was 2-for-5 three runs scored and two RBIs in the victory.

            East Tennessee State returns to action on Wednesday night at 7 p.m., hosting UNC Asheville from Cardinal Park in Johnson City, Tenn. Davidson hosts Radford Tuesday night at 7 p.m. from Wildcat Park in Davidson, N.C.