OXFORD, Ohio (May 16, 2024) – The ETSU baseball team scored six runs in the fifth inning and got a stellar start from
Carter Fink on its way to a 9-3 win over Miami (OH) on Thursday afternoon to begin its final series of the regular season. With Thursday's victory, the Buccaneers improve to 33-17 on the 2024 campaign.
ETSU totaled 10 hits and worked seven walks in Thursday's victory.
Jamie Palmese hit his first collegiate grand slam in a 2-for-4 day at the plate, while
Nick Iannantone (2-for-5) and
Noah Gent (2-for-2, three RBI, two runs scored) also had two-hit days for the Bucs.
As mentioned earlier, Fink started on the mound for ETSU and fared well. Fink, who earned his sixth win of the season on Thursday, scattered five Redhawk hits, allowed one run and struck out three on the day. Furthermore, three of ETSU's four relievers logged scoreless outings to help finish off the victory and those relievers were
Derek McCarley,
Cason Engert and
Kenny Keller.
Both teams would score runs in the first inning on Thursday. Iannantone led the game off with a single.
Cameron Sisneros and
Blake Jacklin both drew walks to load the bases. Gent would drive in Iannantone with a sacrifice fly for the game's first run. However, that's all the Bucs would get in the first as the Redhawks escaped the jam.
Miami would answer back with two-out rally in the bottom half of the inning. A double and then a single from the Redhawks knotted the score at 1-1 after one inning of action.
ETSU would regain the lead in the third. An error allowed
Cody Miller to reach base to start the inning. Miller would make his way around the bases before eventually scoring on another sacrifice fly, this one from
Noah Webb, to give the Bucs a 2-1 lead.
The Bucs would blow the game open with the six-run fifth inning. Sisneros began the fifth with a double and he would score on a single from Jacklin to make the score 3-1 ETSU. Gent would plate Jacklin with a double to grow the ETSU advantage to three, 4-1. Back-to-back walks from Miami gave the Bucs another bases-loaded chance and this time they cashed in. Palmese hit his first collegiate grand slam, his third home run of the season, to stake the Bucs to an 8-1 lead.
The seven-run lead proved more than enough for Fink and the Buccaneer bullpen to work with and finish off the win. The Redhawks would score two runs (one earned) in the eighth, but Keller would get the last three outs on just eight pitches to close out the 9-3 Buccaneer victory.
The Bucs and Redhawks will resume their series tomorrow morning. First pitch for game two is set for 11 a.m.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
