JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 25, 2024) – The ETSU baseball team finished off its second straight series sweep to start the 2024 season on Sunday as it defeated Rider by scores of 5-4 and 11-1 at Thomas Stadium. With Sunday's results the Buccaneers improve to 6-1 on the season. It is ETSU's best seven-game start to a season since the 2019 campaign when it also started 6-1.
Game One Recap – Like it has in most of their games this season, the Bucs struck first.
Nick Iannantone started the game off with a walk, which was followed by a single by
Tommy Barth.
Cameron Sisneros then drove Iannantone in with a single before
JD Yakubinis drove in Barth and Sisneros with a single to stake the Bucs to a 3-0 lead.
ETSU added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to grow its lead to 5-0. Starter
Andrew Ronne was stellar tossing five innings and allowing one run on two hits to go with five strikeouts. Following Ronne was
Michael Harpster. Harpster nearly finished the game for the Bucs but Rider mounted a comeback in the ninth inning that cut the ETSU lead to a run, 5-4.
Derek McCarley, however, came in and retired two of the three batters he faced to finish off the 5-4 win for ETSU.
Barth, Sisneros and Yakubinis all had two hits in game one to lead ETSU's offense. Sisneros and Yakubinis also drove in a pair of runs.
Ryan McCarthy accounted for ETSU's other hit in game one, while
Jamie Palmese reached base twice on a pair of walks, scored a run and stole a base as well.
On the mound, Ronne got the win, his first since April 2022 vs. VMI. McCarley notched his first save of the season after leading the Bucs with three in 2023.
Game Two Recap – After being held to eight runs in the last three games, ETSU's offense rolled in the weekend's final game. The Buccaneers totaled 18 hits, scored 11 runs, and slugged a season-high six home runs in a 11-1 win over the Broncs in the series finale. The six home runs for ETSU are its most in a game since April 9, 2022, when it also hit six in a game vs. Western Carolina.
As good as the Buccaneer offense was, the pitching staff was just as stellar. Starter
Jace Hyde worked the game's first four innings and did not allow hit. Hyde, who struck out eight Broncs, has now struck out 18 batters in 8.2 innings this season and picked up his second win of the season to improve to 2-0.
Andrew Cotten,
Kenny Keller, and
Landon Crumbley all worked 1.1 innings out of the Buccaneer bullpen.
Gent's long ball got the scoring started for ETSU in the bottom of the second. Palmese added an RBI single later in that inning to stake ETSU to the early 4-0 lead. ETSU then hit back-to-back-to-back home runs by Palmese, Iannantone and Barth in the fourth to grow the Buccaneer advantage to seven. Webb notched his second home run in as many games in the sixth, while Green's homer came in the eighth.
Iannantone, Gent,
Ashton King and Palmese all had three hits in the game two win and all nine starters had at least one hit. Iannantone also finished a double shy of the cycle in the victory.
Next Up – ETSU will continue its lengthy home stand on Tuesday when it welcomes Appalachian State to Johnson City. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. from Thomas Stadium.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
