Following a seven-inning scoring slump, the ETSU baseball team was unable to keep up with Virginia Tech’s high-octane offense during Tuesday evening’s matchup that ended with a 15-5 Buccaneers’ loss.
After taking a 1-2 lead early in the first inning, ETSU struggled to make plays defensively, accumulating errors along the way, despite touting one of the top defenses in the Southern Conference for the 2021 season.
Bucs head coach Joe Pennucci acknowledged his team’s defensive struggle while also crediting the nationally-ranked Hokies.
“They’re a good team,” Pennucci said. “If you give them second-chances and free bases, they’ll take advantage of that .. And that’s exactly what they did. It’s frustrating that we didn’t play better defense than what we did because we’re certainly more capable of that.”
Heading into the third inning, ETSU remained in striking distance, trailing Virginia Tech 6-5. But after eight unanswered runs by inning number six, the Bucs found themselves in deep waters.
By the ninth inning, ETSU failed to gather momentum, as errors and defensive mishaps took the air out of the home team. Eventually, a hard-struck line out by Justin Hanvey (Purcellville, Virginia) concluded the game, resulting in a 15-5 Virginia Tech victory.
After playing Tennessee and Clemson earlier in the season, the Hokies make the third Power 5 team that the Bucs have matched up against thus far. Pennucci touched on the importance of squaring off against elite programs.
“We’re fortunate because we’re in an area that’s really close to some Power 5 clubs,” Pennucci said. “I think that when you play good teams it makes you better. Obviously, you want the results to be a little bit better than it was tonight, but those teams make you better down the rode.”
Looking ahead, ETSU will get a shot at redemption later on in the month, when they travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, during an away rematch against the Hokies.
The Bucs now move to 15-12 on the year while holding a steady grasp on second place in the Blue division of the Southern Conference, as they plan to gear up for a three-game series against the Wofford Terriers on April 10-11.
“I’m proud of the way that we compete, for the most part,” Pennucci said of the Bucs players. “They show up every day, I don’t think that they ever quit. I think we’ve pitched and defended for most of the season and that’s what’s kept us in games.”
