ETSU senior third baseman Andy Baxter hit a three-run home run that broke a 5-5 tie and gave the Buccaneers a lead for good in a 21-15 victory over Valparaiso in the forth game of the ETSU Pirate Club Classic Saturday afternoon from Cardinal Park.
ETSU (3-6) took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third with a two-run double by senior right fielder Nathan Copeland.
Valparaiso (0-1) immediately answered back with five runs of their own in the top of the forth to take a 5-2 advantage.
The Crusader lead was short-lived as the Buccaneers caught fire to score seven runs in the bottom of the fifth.
The big blows of the inning were the three-run blast by Baxter that was immediately followed by a solo shot from Copeland.
ETSU scored 21 of their runs in the last six innings of play and batted around in the fouth and eighth innings.
Valparaiso threatened the Buccaneer lead when they trimmed the advantage to 16-14 after scoring four runs in the top of the eighth.
ETSU responded by scoring five runs in the bottom of the frame to break the game open for good.
Baxter led the Buccaneer charge, going 3-3 with four runs scored and five RBIs.
Copeland led ETSU with five RBIs for the afternoon.
Freshman outhfielder Time Turner (3), freshman catcher Jason Nidiffer (3) and senior infielder Ryan McKinney (2) all had multiple RBI games for the Bucs.
Valparaiso was led by first baseman Dan Schrum who had two hits in three at-bats, along with four runs scored and two RBIs.
Tom Magnetti, Marc Boggio, Jeff Mandsager and Brian Wolotaka also had two runs batted in for the Crusaders.
Sophomore Jarrod Hyder picked up the victory after pitching three innings of relief for ETSU.

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