The East Tennessee State baseball team is 3-0 for the first time since the 1998 season. Over the weekend this veteran team showed its maturity by winning three one-run games against a tough Niagara (0-3) team that finished second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference a year ago.
In the season opener, the Bucs survived the cold and the Purple Eagles in a 5-4 game that almost saw a Purple Eagle comeback.
ETSU looked as if they were going to win easily, up four runs after six innings, but the Purple Eagles had other ideas as they scored four in the next two innings to tie the contest.
The Bucs responded in the bottom of the eighth as they loaded the bases and Nick Crowe drove in pinch runner Greg Roberts for the go-ahead run.
First-game jitters were non-existent for Crowe as the Tennessee transfer sent a solo home run over the right-center wall in his first at-bat. The senior from Johnson City went 2-for-4 in the game with two RBIs and a run scored.
Jeremy Hall was the starter for the Bucs and he battled through a tough first inning, but then went on to have a strong outing, striking out six in 6.2 innings of work.
“I was a little wild in the first inning, but after that I settled in and Nick hit the home run to give me a cushion,” Hall said.
In the opener and the double-header on Saturday the Bucs didn’t get rattled when Niagara got a lead or tied the game. The scores of the other games were 5-4 and 3-2.
“We know we’re a good team,” said Hall. “They tried to come back, but we just found a way to win. It’s good to know that we’re not going to give up.”
In the second game of the series, ETSU fell behind 4-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, but they didn’t panic. Seniors Richie Billings and Crowe both walked, and then Shane Byrne hit a double to drive in both of the runners.
Byrne then scored on a single by Caleb Moore and that tied the game at four going into the eighth. The Bucs saved the drama until the bottom of the ninth, when Stephen Douglas scored Crowe on a sacrifice fly to win the game.
Tusculum transfer Brian Lovett did well in his debut, striking out seven in six innings and only allowing four hits. The win belonged to senior Michael Bauer (1-0) who pitched two innings only allowing one base runner.
The Bucs completed the sweep in game three and they did it by smart base running. The team only had six hits in the game, but they made them count.
The Purple Eagles struck first with a home run by Mike Alati, but ETSU did not let the lead stand as Crowe had a lead-off walk in the bottom of the inning and then stole second. Two outs later, Crowe advanced to third on a wild pitch and Douglas roped a double to drive in Crowe and tie the game.
The Bucs scored again in the second when Chuck Hargis drove in Matt Traylor on a ground out. Crowe scored the final ETSU run off a Moore double in the fifth.
Niagara scored one in the sixth, and that ended the scoring at 3-2.
Steven Calicutt had a strong six-inning outing with four strikeouts and two runs allowed. Calicutt (1-0) got the win and Moore closed the game and got the save.
ETSU looks to stay hot as they host Xavier Feb. 26 for a double header and Feb. 27 at Cardinal Park.
Then the Bucs will travel to play Southeastern Conference power Kentucky Wildcats at Lexington March 1-2. Then they will head back home for a five-game stand.

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