BLACKSBURG, Va. (Feb. 17, 2026) – The ETSU baseball team had an early lead on the road at Virginia Tech on Tuesday, but the Hokies rallied back to knock off the Buccaneers by a score of 7-5. With Tuesday's loss, the Bucs move to 3-1 on the season.
 
Tristan Curless had the biggest swing of the day for the Bucs with a three-run home run in the first inning. That long ball was Curless' third in four games. Luke Matlock had the lone multi-hit game for a Buc going 2-for-3 with a run knocked in. Ian Guanzon, Henry Ferguson, and Gabe Juarez also had hits for ETSU in the contest.
 
ETSU got on the board first on Tuesday. With two outs in the first inning, the Bucs got walks from Axel Melendez and Tyler Fetterman. Curless then hit a home run to deep center field to give ETSU the early 3-0 lead.
 
VT got a couple of those runs back in the second. A pair of singles and a double chased home those runs for the Hokies and got them back within a run, 3-2, heading to the third. The Hokies gained their first lead of the contest in the fourth. A trio of hits, two walks, and a costly error helped bring in five runs for Virginia Tech.
 
After the five-run outburst by VT, ETSU got a pair of those runs back in the seventh to make it a 7-5. The Buccaneer bullpen kept ETSU in the game. Reid Brosnan, Cooper Jones, Tyler Kropis, and Evan Rolison combined for four shutout innings with nine strikeouts.  
 
Thanks to the stellar work by ETSU's relievers, the Bucs had an opportunity to tie or pull in front in the ninth inning. Juarez singled and then Matlock walked to bring the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs. Virginia Tech, however, got the final out to preserve the 7-5 victory.
 
The Bucs will return home to host Sacred Heart in a three-game series this weekend at Thomas Stadium. The first game of the set is scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch on Friday afternoon.

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