SPARTANBURG, S.C. (March 29, 2025) – The ETSU baseball team swept a doubleheader on the road at USC Upstate on Saturday by scores of 15-9 and 7-3. The pair of victories by ETSU on Saturday boosts its overall record to 21-6 this season, which matches its best start since 2019.
Game One Recap – After scoring 14 runs in the opening game of the series on Friday, the Buccaneer offense continued to swing it well in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader. ETSU collected 15 hits, slugged six home runs and worked 10 walks against the Upstate pitching staff on its way to a 15-9 win.
Offensively, the Bucs scored in all but two innings in the 15-9 victory.
Jamie Palmese provided ETSU some instant offense with a leadoff home run to start the game. Following the home run by Palmese, five other Bucs added long balls of their own.
Grant Gallagher crushed a three-run shot in the second, while
Cody Miller,
Cooper Torres,
Lenny Montesano and
Axel Melendez all added homers as well. Miller, Torres and Montesano all had three-hit games for ETSU, and production was spread throughout the ETSU lineup with seven different Bucs scoring two runs in the win.
On the mound, the Buccaneers used just two pitchers in the game one victory.
Jace Hyde worked the first 4.2 innings. Hyde began the start with three consecutive scoreless innings, but Upstate's offense started to put some things together in the fourth and fifth innings.
Brady Frederick came in to relieve Hyde and pitched the rest of the game for the Bucs tossing 4.1 innings. Frederick, who improved to 3-0 this season with the win, allowed three runs on three hits to go with three strikeouts in his second longest appearance of the season.
Game Two Recap – With the series knotted at a game a piece, the Bucs turned in their best pitching performance of the weekend in game three. ETSU scored seven runs in support of starter
Michael Harpster. That proved to be more than enough run support as Harpster turned in one of his best starts of the season tossing 6.2 innings with three runs allowed on five hits and matching a career-high eight strikeouts. After Harpster left the game,
Derek McCarley came in and threw 2.2 shutout innings with three strikeouts to finish off the 7-3 win for ETSU.
Miller and
JD Yakubinis led the ETSU offense with two hits each in the victory. Miller hit a two-run home run in the third, which was his second of the day and ninth of his junior season.
Cooper Torres drove in two runs and scored two more in a 1-for-3 day at the plate that extends his hitting streak to 18 games.
Blake Jacklin, Montesano and Yakubinis all drove in runs as well. Furthermore, eight of the nine Bucs that started the series finale had at least one hit to help fuel the win.
Next Up – ETSU will return home Wednesday for another game against a team from the Big South in Radford. First pitch between the Bucs and Highlanders is set for 5 p.m. from Thomas Stadium.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
