JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 19, 2026) – The ETSU baseball team rolled to a 12-1 run-rule victory against The Citadel on Sunday afternoon at Thomas Stadium. The Buccaneers improved to 25-12 overall and 8-4 in SoCon play with Sunday's win over the Bulldogs.
The Buccaneer offense had a stellar day with 16 total hits, which included three home runs. ETSU's top of the order was especially productive as its top four hitters combined to go 12-for-19 (.632) with 10 runs scored, nine RBI, five doubles and two home runs.
Jamie Palmese matched a career-high with five RBI on the day thanks to a three-run home run and a two-run double.
Tristan Curless had his first four-hit game as a Buccaneer in a 4-for-5 day at the plate.
Henry Ferguson also tallied a four-hit game against The Citadel, while
Nate Conner and
Tyler Fetterman both launched home runs in the victory.
Luke Matlock (2-for-4) also had a multi-hit effort for the Bucs.
As good as ETSU's offense was, the pitching staff did just as well. Freshman
Cooper Jones started the game and threw a career-high six-plus innings against the Bulldogs. Jones allowed one run on four hits and a walk to go with eight strikeouts, which also matched a season-best. Jones, who picked up his third win of the season to boost his record to 3-1, was followed by
Reid Brosnan and
Cody Carwile out of the bullpen and both pitchers logged scoreless innings.
The Bucs wasted little in taking the first lead on Sunday. Following singles by Ferguson and Curless, Palmese crushed a three-run home run to left field to stake ETSU and Jones to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
ETSU's lead grew in the fourth with a rally with two outs.
Ian Guanzon worked a walk ahead of back-to-back doubles by Conner and Ferguson to extend the Buccaneer lead to 5-0.
For the first time in his collegiate career, Jones pitched into the seventh inning. The Citadel did push across one run that was credited to Jones, but Brosnan held the Bulldogs to just that one run.
The Bucs' bats stayed hot in the seventh. Ferguson sparked the inning with a single ahead of a double by Curless. Palmese drove both of them in with a double into the left-centerfield gap. Palmese then showed off speed stealing third base and scoring ETSU's eighth run of the day on a wild pitch.
Conner added to ETSU's lead with a solo home run in the eighth. Curless drove in Ferguson with a single to make the score 10-1 Bucs. Fetterman then ended the game with a walk off home run to left field to seal the win for the Bucs.
ETSU will return to the diamond on Tuesday when it visits longtime rival Appalachian State on Tuesday. First pitch between the Bucs and Mountaineers is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.
