JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 17, 2024) – The ETSU baseball team claimed its first series win of the 2024 season with a 15-5 victory over Lafayette on Saturday at Thomas Stadium. ETSU, which has now scored 42 runs through the first two games, improves to 2-0 on the young season.
ETSU's offense totaled 11 hits (five for extra-bases) and worked nine walks against the Leopards on Saturday.
Cameron Sisneros went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and drove in four runs.
Ryan McCarthy also drove in four runs on a 2-for-5 day at the plate in his 2024 debut.
Nick Iannantone notched his second two-hit game of the season (2-for-6), while
Tommy Barth scored four times in the win.
Cooper Torres scored three runs as well and launched ETSU's lone home run in the contest.
The Buccaneer pitching staff struck out 15 hitters on Saturday.
Andrew Ronne got the starting nod and struck out seven in four innings.
Michael Harpster got the win in his ETSU debut tossing three innings, allowing one run on four hits to go with four strikeouts.
Derek McCarley also made his 2024 debut and struck out the side in his lone inning of relief.
After a scoreless first inning, ETSU got the scoring started in the second.
Cody Miller got the Bucs on the board with a sacrifice fly.
Jamie Palmese, Iannantone and Sisneros all followed with run-producing singles to extend the Buccaneer lead to 5-0. Barth (home) and Sisneros (second) then pulled off a double steal to make the score 6-0 ETSU after two innings.
McCarthy singled up the middle to bring Torres around to score in the third to make the score 7-0 Bucs. Lafayette got on the board with three-run home run in the fourth to cut into the deficit and make it 7-3. The Bucs promptly answered with a RBI double from Sisneros and a three-run double by McCarthy to push ETSU's lead out to eight, 11-3.
ETSU added on two runs in the fifth, one in the sixth on a double from Sisneros and another run in the seventh on a solo home run by Torres to finish off the 15-5 win. Thanks to Saturday's win, the Bucs have now won seven straight season-opening series dating back to 2018.
The 42 runs scored by the Bucs is the most for the program in back-to-back games since 2008 when they scored a total of 52 runs in two games against Maryland Eastern Shore. Furthermore, through the first two games ETSU has scored the most runs in Division I baseball.
The Bucs and Leopards will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Thomas Stadium.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
