JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 7, 2025) – East Tennessee State University softball split a pair of games on Friday, winning 10-6 over Mercyhurst but falling 9-0 to Marist.
ETSU opened the first game against Mercyhurst with a double to the left centerfield wall from junior outfielder
Taylor Suchy that scored senior infielder
Cameron Young. Young would score again in the bottom of the third on a wild pitch.
The Lakers added a pair of runs in the second and fourth innings to take a 4-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Then, the Buccaneer offense exploded.
Graduate outfielder
Nayana DeAmelia led off the inning with a single. Back-to-back walks to Young and senior infielder
Riley Nayadley loaded the bases for senior infielder
Sara Muir, who was hit by a pitch to score ETSU's first run of the marathon inning. Suchy and sophomore designated player
Makayla Veglia followed with singles that scored all three of Young, Nayadley and Muir, all before an out was recorded in the inning.
Two batters later, junior catcher
Leinani Lutu hit a two-RBI single that pushed ETSU's lead to 8-4, and Nayadley capped off the Blue & Gold's best inning of the season with another two-RBI single.
The Lakers managed two more runs in the seventh, but to no avail, and ETSU secured the 10-6 win. Freshman
Whitney Boone pitched the last three innings and notched the first win of her collegiate career.
The Bucs' bats did not find the same success in the nightcap against Marist. ETSU mustered just three hits against the strong pitching of Maddie Pleasants, who threw a complete game shutout for the Red Foxes.
Meanwhile, the Marist offense lit up the scoreboard. After solid pitching from Gabby Fowler held the Red Foxes to just two runs in the first four innings, Marist began the fifth inning with a home run off a car in the parking lot to take a 3-0 lead and didn't look back, hanging crooked numbers in the fifth, sixth and seventh to take a 9-0 win.
Next, ETSU continues the Buccaneer Softball Classic at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, against St. Bonaventure. The Bucs will host three Saturday neutral site games, slated for noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
For more information on Buccaneer softball, follow @ETSUSoftball on X (Twitter), @etsubucssoftball on Instagram and visit ETSUBucs.com.