Despite late-game rallies in both games, ETSU dropped two this week to non-conference opponent Eastern Kentucky 20-16 and 7-6.Freshman Scott McNally was credited with the loss in the first game for the Bucs. McNally allowed seven runs in two innings and was pulled after only facing 13 batters. With the loss, McNally is 4-1 on the season. Right-handed sophomore Eric Sanders got the win for the Colonels.

The pitching in the second game was much better. Even though he got the loss, sophomore Josh Means went all the way into the seventh inning.

Means allowed only three earned runs with two strikeouts. Junior Stephen Heffler received the win for EKU.

“We’ve been looking for a good pitching performance, and I feel like we got that today from Josh,” said head coach Tony Skole after the game.

Bucs’ batters tallied four home runs in the first game. Junior Bo Reeder knocked two over the fence for his second game with more than one long ball.

Junior Derek Trent pushed his season home run total up to nine. Freshman Michael Gonzalez also got into the action with an inside-the-park home run for his first career home run.

Right from the start of the first game, EKU players jumped all over the Bucs pitching.

After a single and a 2-RBI double, junior Ryne Faidley blasted a two-run shot to left to put the Colonels up 4-0 before the Bucs could retire the side.

The Colonels added three more runs before the Bucs could get on the board. By the end of the second inning, the score was 7-1.

Eastern Kentucky kept its foot on the gas offensively despite their lead. They added five more runs in the top of the fourth.

The Bucs pitching staff didn’t help their cause. The Colonels got four free runners on base with four walks.

As the Bucs have all season, they refused to go away easily. Gonzalez’s homer drove in Freshman Andrew Green to get the Bucs rolling.

The rest of the lineup followed his lead and ETSU scored six runs to one-up the Colonels in that inning.

Perhaps the final blow for the Bucs came in the top of the seventh inning. Eastern Kentucky’s lineup went nine batters long as they ran up three singles and two doubles to run the score all the way up to 19-11.

In the second game, the Bucs defense played more like the way they did earlier in the season.

Josh Means and the Bucs held the Colonels to only two runs through the first three innings.

In the bottom of the third, sophomore Matthew Scruggs and junior Paul Hoilman had one RBI each to tie the game at 2-2.

The Colonels would strike back. Senior Joey Stevens drove in two runs in the top of the sixth, and then sophomore Jacob Daniel smashed a two-run homer deep over the right field wall.

Despite a valiant effort by the Bucs in the bottom of the eighth, ETSU could not fully climb the comeback mountain. EKU closer Ryne Purcell got the save by retiring Scruggs, Byrne and Hoilman one after the other.

The Bucs return to Atlantic Sun conference play this weekend as they travel to face the Jacksonville Dolphins. The Dolphins are one game ahead of the Bucs in the conference.

Author