JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 2, 2025) – The ETSU baseball team shut out Binghamton by a score of 10-0 in eight innings on Sunday afternoon for its seventh consecutive win. Sunday's victory not only improves ETSU's record to 10-2 this season but it also was ETSU Head Coach Joe Pennucci's 200^th in leading the Bucs. Pennucci becomes just the third ETSU Head Coach to reach this milestone joining Tony Skole and Ken Campbell.
 
The Buccaneer offense continues to be one of the most powerful in the country with four more home runs on Sunday to bring their season total to 32 through 12 games. Cooper Torres and Grant Gallagher both homered again after hitting multiple long balls on Saturday, while Will Smoot and Andrew Hill connected for their first home runs in an ETSU uniform. For Hill, it was his first collegiate home run and base hit.
 
After having one of his roughest outings of his collegiate career last time out vs. Miami (OH), sophomore Michael Harpster bounced back on Sunday. Harpster threw 6.1 shutout innings and held the Bearcats to four hits to go with six strikeouts. Derek McCarley (1.1 innings) and Colin Eaton (0.1 inning) accounted for the final two innings and kept the shutout intact. It is the second time in the last four games that ETSU has shut out an opponent (Feb. 28 vs. Siena – 10-0).
 
Sunday's game began as a pitchers' duel between Harpster and Binghamton's Colin Rhein. Torres did give ETSU the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second with a solo home run. It was his fifth home run of the season and fourth over the last two days. In perspective, Torres has hit five home runs in 45 at-bats in 2025 compared to two in 49 at-bats in 2024.
 
Harpster and Rhein matched each other zero for zero until the bottom of the fifth. Tristan Curless led the inning off with a double. Gallagher then brought Curless home with an RBI single. Gallagher would come around to score a batter later as Smoot blasted a long home run to left field to make it 4-0 ETSU.
 
The Buccaneer offense struck again in the seventh. A single from Curless got the frame started before Gallagher launched his ninth home run of the season to bring him around to score. Gallagher has nine home runs in 2025 in just 33 at-bats. ETSU's offense wasn't done though as a pair of bases-loaded walks from Cody Miller and JD Yakubinis chased home two more runs to make it 8-0 Bucs going to the eighth.
 
Sunday's game would come to an end in the eighth inning. Eli Evans worked a five-pitch walk and then Hill blasted a home run to finish off ETSU's second run-rule victory in three days. Furthermore, Hill is the 11^th different ETSU player to hit a home run this spring.
 
The seven-game winning streak by ETSU is the longest for the program since 2022 when it also won seven games in a row.
 
ETSU will return to action next weekend when it hosts a three-game series against ACC foe Pittsburgh. The series between the Buccaneers and Panthers is set to get underway on Friday at 3 p.m. from Thomas Stadium.

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