BLACKSBURG, Va. (Feb. 18, 2025) – The ETSU baseball team slugged four home runs at Virginia Tech on Tuesday. Despite the power display by the Buccaneers, the Hokies rallied with a pair of runs in the seventh inning to win Tuesday's matchup, 8-6. The loss is ETSU's first of the season and moves its record to 3-1.
ETSU outhit the Hokies on Tuesday, 14-8, to go along with those four home runs. Five different Buccaneer hitters recorded multi-hit performances on the day.
Axel Melendez led the charge with four hits with one of those going over the fence for his second home run of the season.
Grant Gallagher,
Cooper Torres and
Tristan Curless also hit homers against the Hokies. The bottom of ETSU's order was especially productive as the last three hitters in the batting order
Joey Little, Gallagher and Melendez combined to go 8-for-14 on the day. Additionally, the Bucs also continue to put pressure on their opponents on the basepaths with three more stolen bases on the day bringing their season total to 12 through four games.
On the mound, Curless made his pitching debut for ETSU. Curless, who started the game for the Bucs, worked the first 2.2 innings and allowed five runs (three earned) on three hits to go with a pair of strikeouts. Relievers
Brady Frederick and
Carter Oliff provided solid relief out of the ETSU bullpen as they did not allow an earned run in 4.2 innings of work.
ETSU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Torres knocked in the first run with a single before Curless helped his own cause with a two-run home run. Virginia Tech started to chip away at ETSU's lead with a pair of runs in the second and then pulled in front with three more runs in the third.
Coupled with the relief work of Frederick, Gallagher, Melendez and Torres all hit solo home runs in the middle innings to help ETSU regain the lead. Trailing 6-5 after five innings, the Hokies pushed across an unearned run without the benefit of a hit in the sixth to knot the score at six.
The difference in the game came in the bottom of the seventh inning. A leadoff double to go with two walks and two passed balls allowed the Hokies to pull in front for good and clinch the win, 8-6. ETSU did have the go-ahead run at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but a strikeout ended the Bucs' comeback attempt.
ETSU will return home to Thomas Stadium this weekend when it hosts Miami (OH) in a three-game series. The series between the Bucs and Redhawks is set to get underway at 3 p.m. on Friday.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
