ETSU built a 9-2 lead and then held off a late UNC Greensboro rally as the Buccaneers took a 9-8 SoCon baseball win over the Spartans last Friday night at UNCG Stadium.
It was the first road and the first conference win this season for ETSU.
ETSU (6-8, 1-3 SoCon) took an early lead when the Bucs picked up a run in the second after two were out. Kirk Keithley singled, stole second and scored on Chad Boruff’s single up the middle to make it 1-0.
UNCG scored single runs in the third and fourth on an RBI single from Justin Saltalamacchia and an RBI groundout by Justin Lee.
An RBI double by Jeremy Terry in the fifth tied the game before the Bucs took the lead for good with three scores in the sixth. Caleb Moore led off with a bloop double to right center and moved to third on a sacrifice by Keithley. Boruff then hit a homer to left center, his first of the year, for a 4-2 ETSU lead.
With two out Tim Turner reached on an error by UNCG’s shortstop.
He then stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a bouncer up the middle by Matt Traylor .
ETSU took what looked like a safe 9-2 lead with four more runs in the seventh.
Moore started things with his first career home run and Turner later followed with a two-run single.
Starter Reid Casey had a strong outing for the Bucs, allowing only two runs over the first seven innings before surrendering a two-run home run to Ryan Gordon in the eighth.
He allowed nine hits in eight innings of work, striking out eight to improve to 3-1 on the season.
Jackson Simerly started the ninth and got in trouble, giving up a single and an RBI triple to Kirk Strebin.
Simerly allowed a sac fly and got one strikeout, but gave up two walks and a pinch-hit RBI single to Daniel Ward that cut the Buccaneer’s lead to 9-7.
Jarrod Hyder then came on, giving up a run-scoring single to Mike McClain before getting Ryan Galligan on a grounder to third to pick up his first save of the season and end the game.
Boruff and Traylor each went 3-for-5. Boruff drove in three runs for the Bucs and scored twice, while Traylor drove in one, scored once and stole two bases.
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UNCG jumped out to a 13-2 lead after three innings on its way to a 14-8 Southern Conference baseball win over ETSU on Saturday afternoon.
A double by Chad Boruff in the first brought home Jeremy Terry from second and gave the Bucs (6-9, 1-3 SoCon) an early 1-0 lead.
The Spartans answered in the bottom of the first on a solo home run from Jason Sarvis and then broke the game open with seven in the second and five more in the third.
After getting the first out in the third, UNCG had its next eight hitters reach base safely, getting six hits and two walks. The end result was the Spartans had another five runs on the board before the Bucs got a double-play to end the inning, taking a commanding 13-2 lead.
Jackson Simerly came on in relief to get the double-play ball that ended the inning and went the rest of the way for ETSU, shutting down UNCG. He allowed just one run in 5.2 innings of work, striking out three without allowing a walk.
Boruff continued his hot hitting in the series, slamming his second home run in as many days in the eighth, bringing home Jason Brotherton, who had walked.
ETSU made some more noise in the ninth, scoring four more times before UNCG could come up with the final out of the game.
Boruff went 3-for-4 with a double and home run, driving in four runs. Tim Turner and Terry each had a pair of hits for the Bucs.
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UNC Greensboro’s Jay Metzger pitched a complete-game six-hitter to lead the Spartans to a 9-1 Southern Conference baseball win over ETSU on a cold, damp Sunday afternoon in Greensboro. The win gave UNCG the series two games to one.
Metzger held the Bucs off the scoreboard after surrendering an unearned run in the first inning.
With one out, Jeremy Terry bunted down the third base line and was safe at first when the throw from UNCG third baseman Justin Saltalamacchia was wide of first. Terry then moved to second on a balk on Metzger and to third on Bryan Crouse’s single up the middle.
Chad Boruff then brought Terry home with a fielder’s choice ball to the shortstop, giving him at least one RBI in each game of the series for the Bucs.
That would prove to be all that ETSU could muster off of Metzger, who struck out four and walked two to gain his first win of the season.
The Bucs will be home on Saturday and Sunday, playing Binghampton at 2 p.m. on Saturday and completing the series with a doubleheader on Sunday, starting at 1 p.m.

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