Jacksonville scored five runs in the second and three more in the fourth, and reliever Justin Young shut the Bucs down over the final 3 2/3 innings, as the Dolphins defeated ETSU 9-7 in the second game of the two teams three-game series Saturday afternoon at Alexander Brest Field.
The Bucs (21-20, 8-12) struck first on junior Stephen Douglas two-run homer in the first inning, his seventh of the season.
Jacksonville (30-12, 12-5) took the lead in the second inning, scoring five runs on six hits, including five consecutive singles. Matt Lopez’s single to center scored Tim LePage from third base, cutting the lead in half, followed by Don Vickers single up the middle to score Mike McCallister from second. John Tiner singled through the right side, loading the bases and Anthony Bernazard gave the Dolphins the lead on a sacrifice fly to center. Pete Clifford cleared the bases with a double to right center, and Jacksonville led 5-2.
The Dolphins extended the lead to 8-2 on the strength of back-to-back fourth inning home runs. With left fielder Pete Clifford on second base and two outs in the inning, third baseman Daniel Murphy crushed his fifth home run of the season for a 7-2 lead, and first baseman Gordie Gronkowski immediately followed with his seventh blast of the season.
Senior outfielder Shane Byrne cut the Dolphin lead in half with a three-run homer to right field. Sophomore Bubba Herbold and senior Matt Traylor led off the inning with singles before Byrne brought them home with his seventh home run of the year.
The Bucs cut the lead to one in the sixth, with Traylor and Byrne each driving in runs, but Young came out of the pen, relieving starter D.J. Ackley, and held the ETSU bats to two hits the rest of the way.
Sophomore Joey McCown took his second loss of the year, galling to 5-2 after giving up eight runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings of work. Ackley (5-3) surrendered seven runs on eight hits in his 5 1/3 innings, but was effective enough to earn his fifth win.
The ETSU baseball squad jumped out to an 8-2 lead, and held off a late-inning Jacksonville rally to defeat the Atlantic Sun Conference leading Dolphins 8-7 Sunday afternoon from Alexander Brest Field. The win snaps a six-game overall losing streak, as well as a six-game conference losing streak for the Bucs.
“We needed this win badly,” said head coach Tony Skole . “It’s like we’ve been out in the desert the last couple of weeks, and we’ve been dying for some relief.”
The Bucs (22-20, 9-12) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on the strength of two unearned runs. Junior C.J. Lee drove in senior Matt Traylor on a one-out single to left field, and senior Shane Byrne came home on a fielder’s choice.
The lead extended to 5-0 in the second on Byrne’s eighth homer of the season, a three-run blast over the right field wall driving home Traylor and freshman Ben Allen.
In the fifth inning, after Lee reached on an infield single, senior Blake Church doubled down the left field line, scoring Lee. Church scored on a throwing error by starting pitcher Tim Brown’s errant pick off attempt.
Junior Stephen Douglas scored on a passed ball in the seventh, providing what proved to be a crucial insurance run.
Trailing 8-2 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Dolphins (30-13, 12-6) scored three unearned runs, cutting the deficit in half.
Right fielder Mike McCallister’s solo home run to lead off the eighth cut the Buccaneer lead to 8-6, and Anthony Bernazard drove in shortstop Matt Lopez on a one-out groundout.
With the tying run at third base, senior closer Steven Calicutt came on and induced a harmless lineout to second to end the threat.
Calicutt returned and pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save of the season. Junior lefty Ryan Howe improved to 4-3, scattering five hits over 6 1/3 innings of work and surrendering just two earned runs while striking out four. Brown (3-3) took the loss for the Dolphins, giving up 10 hits and seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.
The Bucs are back in action Tuesday evening taking on Virginia Tech in the Kingsport Classic in Kingsport,Tenn. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m at the Kingsport Mets stadium.

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