Tiffany Vandergriff pitched a two-hit complete game shutout as the Buccaneers pummeled the Radford Highlanders 8-0 in the first game of their Tuesday afternoon doubleheader at Kiwanis Park in Johnson City.
Vandergriff pitched five scoreless innings striking out four, with zero bases on balls, and improved her record to five wins and seven losses on the season.
The Buccaneers (6-16, 2-4) needed only five innings to close out the Highlanders (12-21-1), as they reached the eight-run “Mercy” rule in the bottom of the fifth inning off a two-run triple by Reah Holler.
Head Coach Stephanie DeFeo was pleased with her team’s effort and glad to see them play to their capabilities.
“This is the team I know they can be,” she said. “We know we can play like this, we have to be more consistent each game.”
“If we play the way we’re capable of we can be a good team,” DeFeo said.
The Buccaneers put their first runs of the game on the scoreboard in the second inning off a two-run double to left field by Judith St.Clair, scoring Julia Chance, who reached on a base-on-balls, and Miranda Byerly, who got the Bucs first hit of the game.
ETSU was not finished there as they added four more runs in the bottom of the second inning.
The next two runs came when Shawnda Cole belted a two-run single that scored St.Clair and Holler, who reached on an error by the Highlanders’ pitcher Jennifer Overstreet, putting the Buccaneers up 4-0.
Jennifer Hodge added an RBI single that scored Andrea Roberts, who reached on a base-on-balls, and Cole stole home on a passed ball that capped the scoring, putting ETSU up 6-0.
That would be all the run support that Vandergriff would need as she held the Highlanders hitless through the third and fourth innings.
DeFeo was particularly pleased with her starting pitcher, who has been improving all season.
“She’s incredible,” she said. “Tiffany has improved since the fall . she’s going to keep getting better.”
In the second game, the Highlanders stormed out of the gates in the third inning scoring nine runs before ETSU could record an out.
Radford was also benefited by three errors on the inning and took full control of the lead by the forth inning, 11-4, on the final hit by Highlander Peyton Nash’s single scoring Ashleigh Brooks.
Niether team would score after the fourth and ETSU inked another loss in its softball program.
ETSU will be back in action with a doubleheader against Georgia Southern Saturday at 1 p.m. at Kiwanis Park.

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