Following a sweep against the Chattanooga Mocs last weekend at home, the Bucs traveled to the Western Carolina University Catamounts for another Southern Conference match-up.
The team began the three game series on Saturday with a double-header.
In game one, the Bucs fell 8-3 to the Catamounts, but Danielle Knoetze (San Diego, Calif.) and Cassi Pickett (Chattanooga, Tenn.) both found the ball with their bat during the first game.
Knoetze and Pickett both had two hits each for the Bucs, but none were enough to get them ahead of Western Carolina. One hit from Knoetze was a homerun.
Madison Ogle (Maryville, Tenn.) started game one for the Bucs, allowing six hits in two innings. At the end of the second inning, teammate Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) came in to pitch and only allowed one more run for the rest of the game.
Going into the second game of the day on Saturday, the Bucs switched out pitchers and senior Lindsey Fadneck (Coalfield, Tenn.) took to the mound.
Pitching a complete game, she only allowed one unearned run and struck out nine WCU batters.
The Catamounts looked like they were going to catch up again, but Fadneck held them off in the bottom of the seventh despite the loaded basses.
Knoetze also left game two with another hit, this one sending the Bucs into the win. She hit a homerun in the top of the seventh to lift the Bucs 3-1 over WCU where the score remained for the rest of play.
All runs were scored in the fifth inning off Knoetze’s home run. With her two home runs on Saturday, she now has 10 for the entire season.
Despite the loss in game one, the Bucs had been on the longest winning streak in program history and still have a chance to come out with a series win over the Catamounts.
The Bucs with one win and WCU with another, the winner would be crowned Sunday, but due to inclement weather the game on Sunday was cancelled.
The series ended in a tie, and the Bucs are now 21-20 overall and 7-4 in conference play, the best SoCon record the Bucs have had so far.
ETSU will hit the field on Wednesday at Morehead State in a double header that begins at 2 p.m. in Morehead, Kentucky.
