JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 27, 2024) – The ETSU softball team was on its home turf for the first time this 2024 season as the Buccaneers hosted Appalachian State in a doubleheader on Tuesday at Betty Basler Field.
The Bucs scored five runs in the third inning and cruised to a 6-2 win in the opener, snapping a nine-game losing streak to the Mountaineers. The nightcap featured classic pitchers' duel between
Taylor Suchy and Sejal Neas as Appalachian State edged the Bucs, 1-0 in a game featuring six total hits and 11 strikeouts.
With the split, ETSU moved to 3-9 on the season, while Appalachian State is 8-6.
In game one, the Bucs pounded out 10 hits and used the five-run third inning to take command en route to securing the four-run victory, 6-2.
Riley Nayadley led the way with a three-hit game, while
Cameron Young started the big inning with a two-run scoring double to bring home
Brylee Mesusan and
Jasmine Sanchez.
Sara Muir, who earned the win in the circle, reached base three times as she went 2-for-3 with a walk, triple and two runs scored.
Muir improved to 3-3 after holding Appalachian State to one run on seven hits with three strikeouts in 4.1 innings. Freshman
Gabrielle Fowler pitched the final 2.2 innings as she allowed one run on three hits.Appalachian State's ace Kaylie Northrop suffered her first loss of the season (4-1) after being roughed up for five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 2.1 innings.
As the teams were held scoreless for the first two-plus innings, the Blue & Gold broke through with five runs on six hits in the bottom of the third to go up 5-0. Joining Young with RBIs in the inning were
Taylor Suchy,
Emily Glasscock and
Maddison Stowell. Suchy brought home Muir after reaching on a fielding error, while Suchy later scored when Glasscock worked a bases loaded walk. From there, Stowell capped off the scoring when she brought home Nayadley after being hit by a pitch.
An inning later, Nayadley plated Muir with an RBI single to center, making it 6-0.
After keeping the Mountaineers off the board for the first four innings, Appalachian State broke through in the fifth on an RBI double from Peyton Darnell. The Mountaineers were threatening in the inning as they had runners on second and third with only one out when the Bucs made the call to the pen. Fowler came in and registered a pair of fly outs to end the inning and keeping ETSU's five-run lead intact, 6-1.
Appalachian State got a two-out RBI double from Abby Cunningham in the top of the sixth but Fowler closed things out to give ETSU the win in the home opener.
Both pitchers were dealing in game two as Suchy and Neas went toe-to-toe in a classic duel.
After six scoreless innings, the Mountaineers finally plated the only run of the night on a sacrifice fly RBI from Killian Roberts in the top of the seventh, resulting in the 1-0 contest.
Suchy retired nine straight Appalachian State hitters before Peyton Darnell led off the seventh with a double to right-center. From there, the Mountaineers played small ball to generate the only run of the game as Darnell moved to third on sacrifice bunt and scored on the sac fly to left.
Neas took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and was one out away from securing the feat. However, Suchy battled and sent a 3-2 pitch into center field, resulting in the winning run coming to the plate. Making her only at-bat of the game,
Olivia Absher also took Neas deep into the count before striking out to end the contest.
Suchy (0-3) was solid in the circle as she held Appalachian State to the one run on four hits with two strikeouts and zero walks in six innings.
Whitley Arnott made her season debut and allowed one hit in one inning of relief.
Neas (2-2) tossed a complete game one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts and one walk. The walk came to
Sara Muir in the bottom of the first. From there, the Johnson City native retired 18 straight Buccaneers before Suchy's seventh-inning single.
The Bucs return to action on Saturday when ETSU hosts Robert Morris in a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
For more information on ETSU softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball tab.
