The ETSU baseball team has opened their three game series versus Rider University with one win and one loss, bringing their overall record to 4-2 on the season.
On Friday afternoon, the Buccaneers’ senior ace pitcher Landon Knack (Johnson City, Tennessee) took to the mound, and once again displayed an electrifying and dominant performance, lifting the Bucs to a 7-0 shutout victory over the Rider University Broncs.
Knack displayed both prowess and efficiency in his second start of the year, giving up only one hit in seven innings of work. This brought his total for the season to a mere three hits allowed through twelve innings pitched and zero runs allowed through two starts.
“I feel like I’m doing a pretty good job,” Knack said after the game. “There’s a couple things here and there I need to fine-tune, but i’ve been feeling pretty good to start off.”
In addition to Knack’s dominant pitching performance, the Bucs were able to connect the dots offensively, opening up the scoring with four runs in the 5th inning, and two more runs in the 6th inning. Senior third baseman Jake Lyle (Spring Hill, Tennessee) put together a three-run performance of his own. Lyle has opened up the season red-hot, carrying a .421 batting average through the first six contests.
“I thought our (at-bats) were pretty good,” head coach Joe Pennucci said. “I was happy with the way our at-bats continued, and the way we were able to capitalize the way we did in the middle of the game and get ahead.”
The Buccaneers returned to the field for game two of the series on Saturday afternoon but fell to Rider by a final score of 7-4. The Bucs managed to score two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, but the rally fell short. The series evened at 1-1. The Bucs committed four errors in Saturday’s game, compared to zero errors committed in there prior win on Friday.
A bright spot for the Buccaneers in game two of the series was the offensive display of redshirt sophomore center fielder Ben Jackson (Guyton, Georgia), who managed to get two hits, including a double, and scored one run. Additionally, junior second baseman Drew Haynie (Brentwood, Tennessee) had a great offensive day, going 1 for 2 with a solo home run in the 3rd inning.
The Buccaneers were scheduled to take on Rider University for the third and final game of the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Thomas Stadium. Next, the Bucs will visit Clemson University in South Carolina to take on the Tigers on Feb. 25. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
