The Bucs jumped on Vanderbilt early, but the Commodores came back for a tight 5-4 victory Tuesday afternoon against East Tennessee State from Hawkins Field in Nashville.
The Bucs fall to 2-1, after their first loss of the season. Vanderbilt improved to 2-1.
ETSU scored two runs on two hits off freshman Ryan Mullins (1-0) in the first inning. Junior second baseman Andy Howdeshell started the game with a double to right center field and scored from third base two batters later when freshman designated hitter Blake Church grounded out to shortstop. ETSU batter senior first baseman Chad Boruff walked, took second on a passed ball and scored on sophomore catcher Caleb Moore’s RBI single to right field.
Mullins then settled down, allowed only one additional hit and retired seven in a row on two separate occasions before leaving the game.
Vanderbilt cut the 2-0 deficit in half in the bottom of the first when Ryan Klosterman led off the frame with a walk and later scored on a balk by ETSU starter Mike Bauer (0-1). The Commodores took a 3-2 lead after two innings when Rucker Taylor scored Jones from third base on an RBI single off the third-base bag and Jonathan Douillard singled and later scored on Bauer’s second balk of the game.
Vanderbilt pushed the lead to 5-2 in the fifth inning thanks to RBI singles by Jones and Klosterman.
ETSU moved to within 5-3 in the seventh when VU reliever Jeff Sues entered the game and walked junior outfielder Bo Calloway who later scored on a RBI ground out by Howdeshell.
Commodore reliever Matt Buschmann entered the game in the ninth. He surrendered a one-out double to freshman third baseman Shane Byrne. ETSU sophomore pinch hitter Davis Burklin scored Byrne on the following play with a RBI single to left field. Burklin, however, tried to stretch the hit into a double and was thrown out at second base. Buschmann then struck out Howdeshell looking to earn his first save of the season.
Moore led the Bucs with two hits on the afternoon, while he, Howdeshell, Church and Burklin drove in the ETSU runs.
Bauer pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out three batters. Sophomore lefty Josh Kite and senior right-hander Willie McKenzie pitched nearly flawless relief, allowing four hits and no runs in 3 2/3 innings to keep the Bucs in contention.
Besides Jones, three other Commodores registered at least two hits in the game, including Matt Zeller, Klosterman and Taylor.
“I am very proud of the way our kids played today,” ETSU head coach Tony Skole said. “We competed at a very high level today. Still, I am disappointed with the outcome, we had many opportunities to win the game.”
On Sunday, the Bucs opened their season with two wins over Xavier.
Reliver Jarrod Hyder earned the extra-inning win in the first game, after pitching five innings with six strikeouts, five hits and one earned run.
Starter Tim Turner pitched the first six innings, striking out eight batters.
In game two, Steven Calicutt threw 5 1/3 innings, allowed just one hit and struck out six for the win.

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