JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 20, 2026) – The ETSU baseball team hit four home runs, and its pitching staff threw its first shutout of 2026 as the Buccaneers knocked off Sacred Heart by a score of 10-0 on Friday afternoon from Thomas Stadium. Friday's win moves ETSU's record to 4-1 on the 2026 campaign.
The 10-run outburst by the Bucs on Friday is the highest for the team so far this spring.
Axel Melendez hit a three-run home run and collected a three-run triple later in the contest to finish with a career-high six RBI.
Ian Guanzon and
Mason Ault hit their first home runs as Buccaneers, while
Tristan Curless continues to be one of the top power hitters this season with his fourth home run in five games. While he didn't hit a home run,
Jamie Palmese had his best performance offensively this season on Friday reaching base five times and finishing the day going 3-for-3.
As good as the offense was, the pitching staff did just as well.
Tadan Bell picked up his first win as a Buc tossing five shutout innings. Bell allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out five Pioneer hitters on the day. ETSU's bullpen continues to fare well in 2026 as
Andrew Cotten and
Stratton Scott allowed just one Sacred Heart hitter to reach base over the final four innings to go with eight strikeouts. Cotten accounted for six of those strikeouts in three innings of work, while Scott tallied two of his own in his first collegiate appearance. Overall, ETSU allowed just five base runners on the day and struck out 13.
Much of Friday's game was a pitchers' duel. Guanzon gave ETSU the early 1-0 lead on a solo home run in the second. Bell and Sacred Heart starter Bryan Matuschat matched each other zero for zero until the sixth when Curless hit an opposite-field home run to left field to double ETSU's lead to 2-0 heading to the seventh.
The Bucs chased Matuschat from the game in the seventh with a two-run home run by Ault. Now into the Pioneer bullpen, the Bucs kept the pressure on. SHU's first reliever Will Saxenmeyer hit Palmese with a pitch to give ETSU two runners on base with one out. Melendez then connected on his first home run of 2026 to cap a five-run seventh and push ETSU's advantage out to seven, 7-0. Melendez boosted the lead to double digits on a three-run triple in the eighth to seal ETSU's fourth win at home in as many games.
The Buccaneers and Pioneers will wrap up their series with a doubleheader on Saturday. The action is scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m. from Thomas Stadium with the series finale set to begin roughly 35 minutes after the conclusion of the first game of the day.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
