A torrent of hitting by ETSU simply overpowered the Campbell Camels Saturday at Cardinal Park, earning the Bucs a doubleheader sweep, 21-11 and 9-3.
ETSU made it difficult to single out any particular offensive star, as the Bucs delivered an arsenal of hits that included game-winning homers by Troy Mendez and Garrett May, while freshman Bo Reeder hit for the cycle. The Bucs also scored 19 runs in only three innings during one stretch of the opening game. A grand slam off the bat of Danny Petro ended the second game.
Petro’s blast, which sailed over the foul pole in left field and landed some 450 feet away from home plate, added a decisive finishing touch to the Bucs’ victory over the Camels.
“It was a much-needed series win for us,” ETSU head coach Tony Skole said. “I’m just really proud of our players. We got behind in both games but showed a lot of heart and got some really timely hitting, and I can’t comment enough about courage and passion we played with today. Our guys really made some made good adjustments with the bats. About 70 percent of our hits were to the opposite field, which really takes a lot of discipline.”
Campbell held a 9-2 lead in the fourth inning of the opener, but it was all Bucs after that, as the home team erupted for six runs in the fifth and eight more in the sixth. ETSU finished with 36 hits in the doubleheader, including seven by Reeder, six by Petro and five from May. The home team finished with eight home runs and 20 extra-base hits. Petro led the virtual home run derby with three, while May and Mendez also added two homers each.
In the midst of the Bucs’ offensive showing, Darren Caldwell emerged as the pitching star as he picked up two wins in the same day to improve his record to 4-0.
The Bucs bettered their record to 9-10 overall and 3-6 in the Atlantic Sun. ETSU was also able to boost their offensive stats during the doubleheader. After entering the series hitting .266 as a team, they improved to .302 on the season.
“We really needed this win to start to get back into the conference race again,” Skole said. “This definitely gives us some momentum.”
The Bucs were coming off a 12-9 loss in the series opener on Friday when they fought their way back from a 9-2 deficit, only to see it slip away when they gave up three runs in the top of the ninth to the Camels, who, as a team, bat a .348 average. However, the Bucs left few doubting the potency of their offense in Saturday’s games.
Reeder led the Bucs’ offensive flurry with a flawless five-for-five performance in the opener, including two singles, a double, a triple and a home run. Also, all six of Petro’s hits were for extra bases.
“I’ve been struggling lately,” Petro said, “but all the guys have been helping me. It just all came together today.”
All the ETSU starters had at least one extra-base hit today. Mendez delivered the three-run homer that put the Bucs ahead to stay in the first game, and May launched a two-run shot over the scoreboard in left field that proved to be the game-winner in the nightcap.
The Bucs’ next conference match-up is at Mercer on Friday and Saturday.

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