On Tuesday, March 31, the Buccaneer softball team hosted Radford in a doubleheader that started out as competitive, but ended in a pair of losses for ETSU.

The opener was tense, with back-and-forth offensive efforts creating pressure on both ends that ETSU could not close out. They fell 3-2 after an extra inning. Radford was able to come out strong and score two runs in the first inning and set a tone for themselves that ETSU could not break through.

The Bucs were able to keep the match competitive and close thanks to their timely hitting. Number 4, Riley Croley, scored a solo home run to keep the Bucs within one run of Radford but the efforts early on from the freshman were not enough to close out the game.

The second matchup proved to be more harsh than the first, and ETSU was never able to settle into a rhythm offensively. Radford came alive early with a three run home run in the first and never looked back.

They held the Buccaneers to just one run in the entire matchup, scored by Leinani Lutu in the 6th inning to keep Radford from the shutout. The Highlanders also had a big sixth inning and scored some insurance runs to hold steady to their large lead. This matchup ended with a tough 10-1 loss for the Bucs.

The doubleheader showed two contrasting performances from the Buccaneers starting with a highly competitive, highly contested  game as the opener, and ending with a near shutout and allowing for Radford to score double digits in the match.

The Buccaneers will next take on Western Carolina University with a pair of games on April 3, and a standalone match on April 4. More information can be found at etsubucs.com under the softball tab.

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