ETSU baseball was in full swing as the (5-3) Bucs battled the Eastern Kentucky Colonels over the weekend.
A three-game series took place on March 5 and 6 at Thomas Stadium, in which the Bucs managed to grab two victories. The Bucs hoped to bounce back after a 7-3 loss to Clemson earlier last week.
“They didn’t give up and they kept playing … if you keep the game within two runs, good things are going to happen,” said head coach Joe Pennucci of his squad after going 2-1 in the weekend series.
On March 5, the Bucs were carried to a win by slugger Ethan Cady (Soddy Daisy, Tennessee). A home run in the bottom of the third inning gave Cady three of his six runs batted in of the game.
Later in the sixth inning, Cady found himself at bat with the bases loaded and two outs before clearing the bases with a double. Cady ended the night with six RBIs and two runs, as the Bucs won 7-6 and moved to 6-3 on the season.
Cady was asked about his success at the plate after the game.
“Slowing the game down is big,” Cady said. “You get sped up by the game. I take every at bat, every pitch differently and slow it down. I think that is the big key.”
March 6 was a doubleheader between the two teams. In the first game, dominated by pitching, the Colonels were up 2-0 entering the bottom of the sixth. Ashton King (Knoxville, Tennessee) hit a two-run homer, also sending in Bryce Hodge (Knoxville, Tennessee) to even out the score.
The pitchers would take over until the 10th inning with neither side allowing a hit. In bottom of the 10th, still tied 2-2, the Bucs were quickly sitting with two outs before 12 straight balls were thrown, giving the Bucs their second walk-off win on the year and moving them to a 7-3 record.
Game two of the day was not what the Bucs had hoped for. Entering the fourth inning still scoreless, a walk-in run and a 2 RBI by David Beam (Knoxville, Tennessee) brought the score to 3-3.
The Bucs never saw the lead after a strong showing by the Colonels in game two. The final score of the night was 9-7, putting the Bucs at a 7-4 record.
The Bucs clearly struggled at the plate throughout the series, as they did on March 2 at Clemson. Pennucci was asked about his team’s batting.
“I think we just gotta swing at better pitches,” Pennucci said. “It’s pretty simple — you put balls in play, and something can happen. We didn’t put enough balls in play.”
“We are all stressing at the plate and pressing,” Cady added. “We need to take a big breath and pass the torch to the next batter, and we will be fine.”
The team will ready up and hope for more success at the plate for their next game when (4-6) Radford comes to town on March 9 at 3 p.m. at Thomas Stadium.
