GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 28, 2024) – UNC Greensboro scored seven runs in the first inning on its way to a 10-8 win over the ETSU baseball team on Thursday night. With Thursday's loss, the Buccaneers move to 16-8 overall and 2-2 in SoCon play.
 
All nine members of ETSU's starting lineup reached base at least once and eight of the nine picked up hits. Cameron Sisneros tallied his fifth three-hit game of 2024 finishing the night with a 3-for-5 outing at the plate with two RBI. Nick Iannantone also reached base three times thanks to a 2-for-4 effort with a walk to go with two runs scored and three RBI. Finally, Noah Webb hit the lone home run for the Bucs in the contest, which was his fifth of the season.
 
For the 19^th time this season, the Bucs scored first. Iannantone and Tommy Barth both worked walks before Sisneros drove in both with a single to stake the Bucs to an early 2-0 lead. UNCG, however, promptly answered in the bottom of the first. The Spartans totaled seven runs on seven hits, which included a pair of home runs, to pull in front of the Bucs, 7-2, after one inning.
 
ETSU got back within a run thanks to a four-run second inning. Webb led the inning off with an opposite-field home run. Ashton King followed Webb's long ball with a triple and then Iannantone drove him in with a single. The Bucs then loaded the bases and Cody Miller worked a bases loaded walk to shave another run off UNCG's lead. A sacrifice fly from JD Yakubinis drove in Barth and made the score 7-6.
 
The Bucs had some standout performances over the next few innings to keep the Spartans from having another big inning. Yakubinis made a stellar catch to finish the third inning to keep the Spartan lead at one. After UNCG scored a pair of runs in the fourth on back-to-back solo home runs, Iannantone tallied a two-run single to get the Bucs back within a run. As the game moved to the bottom of the fifth, Walker Trusley came in and got a big strikeout to leave a UNCG runner stranded at second base.
 
Perhaps the biggest outing by a Buccaneer, however, came from Kenny Keller. Keller entered the game in the sixth inning with the bases loaded with nobody out. Keller not only kept all of those runners from scoring but he also struck out the side. Keller came out again for the seventh and picked up two more strikeouts but more importantly kept the deficit at one run, 9-8, heading to the eighth.
 
The Spartans, however, picked up an insurance run in the eighth inning to move its lead back to two, 10-8. After scoring a pair of runs in the fifth, the Bucs had a runner get on base in three of the last four innings, including one in the ninth thanks to a walk by Webb. However, the Spartans were able to strand those runners and hold on for the 10-8 win.
 
The series between the Buccaneers and Spartans will resume on Friday. First pitch for that contest is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.