Saturday, April 11, 2009

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 11, 2009) - Jacksonville's Chuck Opachich and Jamaal Hawkins combined for 11 hits Saturday to finish the sweep as the ETSU baseball team dropped two close games in a doubleheader to the Dolphins at Cardinal Park by the scores of 12-10 and 4-3.

 

Opachich was 6-for-8 on the day extending his current hit streak to 24 games as the Bucs pitching staff could not find a way to keep him off of the bases. Cather Danny Petro (Atlanta, Ga.) had a good day at the plate for ETSU as he went 4-for-7 with three doubles, a home run, scored three runs and drove in three.

 

The Bucs drop to 14-18 overall and 6-12 in conference play, while the Dolphins are now 23-10 on the year and 12-6 in the A-Sun.

 

ETSU starter Josh Gonzaga (Davie, Fla.) earned a no decision going 5.0 innings allowing seven runs on nine hits with four walks and a strikeout in game one. JU starter Matt Tomshaw also earned a no decision as he was chased after one inning giving up two runs on four hits.

 

Sean Green and Darren Caldwell (Spartanburg, S.C.) had a pitchers duel going in the second game as Green picked up his first win of the season going six scoreless innings surrendering only two hits and three walks with five strikeouts, while Caldwell went seven innings allowing only one run on four hits with three walks and five strikeouts as he fell to 4-1 on the year.

 

In the first game, The Bucs jumped out in front in the bottom of the first as third baseman Bo Reeder (Cookeville, Tenn.) came around to score on a Troy Mendez (Roswell, Ga.) triple to center to give ETSU a 1-0 lead. Later in the inning, first baseman Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) singled over the Jacksonville first baseman Alex Martinez to score Mendez to put the Bucs up 2-0.

 

With two outs in the top of the second the game was suspended to Saturday due to heavy rain.

 

When play resumed on Saturday, Jacksonville cut into the ETSU lead to 2-1 in the top of the second as third baseman Glen Johnson singled in a run.

 

Reeder picked up where he left off in the bottom of the second as he doubled in Chris Rankhorn (Gallatin, Tenn.) to increase the ETSU lead to 3-1. Mendez added two more runs in the inning as Garrett May (Roswell, Ga.) and Reeder came around to score on a ball Mendez hit off of the wall in left making the score 5-1.

 

In the top of the third, the Dolphin right fielder Thomas Myers drove a two-run home run over the fence in left to narrow the gap to 5-3.

 

Petro answered with a solo home run down the left field line in the bottom of the third to give the Bucs a 6-3 lead. The home run was Petro's seventh of the season.

 

ETSU padded its lead in the bottom of the fourth as Mendez came in to score on a Johnson error to bring the score to 7-3.  The Bucs added three more runs in the inning on a two run double by Petro and a RBI double by Rankhorn to give ETSU a 10-3 advantage.

 

The Dolphins narrowed the gap to 10-7 in the top of the fifth on a solo home run to left center by Jeremy Gillan, and three-run home run to left by Chris Connelly.

 

JU scored two runs in the top of the sixth on a throwing error by Petro and a RBI ground out to first by Myers to make the score 10-9.

 

Shortstop Jamaal Hawkins tied the game at 10-all in the top of the seventh on an RBI single through the left side of the infield.

 

Connelly gave Jacksonville its first lead of the game in the top of the ninth as he sent a solo shot over the fence in left, his second home run of the game. Later in the inning, Hawkins added a little insurance for Jacksonville with an RBI double down the left field line to give JU a 12-10 lead.

 

Chris Kaminski came in, in relief for the Dolphins and shut down the ETSU offense throwing 2.1 scoreless innings giving up only two hits as he earned his third win of the year.

 

In the second game, the Dolphins took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third as Opachich singled up the middle driving in Johnson from second.

 

Jacksonville picked up two runs in the top of the eighth as Kyle Fleming and Opachich came around to score on a Hoilman error to extend the JU lead to 3-0.

 

Senior Jacob Fabry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) started an ETSU rally in the bottom of the eighth as he crushed a ball over the fence in right for his first career home run cutting the Dolphin lead to 3-1. Later in the inning, second baseman Ben Allen (Kingsport, Tenn.) singled up the middle scoring Hoilman from second to make the score 3-2, JU.

 

Hawkins added an insurance run for Jacksonville in the top of the ninth doubling in a run to increase the JU lead to 4-2.

 

ETSU got a run in the bottom of the ninth as Petro came in to score on a throwing error by Opachich to make the final 4-3.

 

Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on ETSU baseball and all other Buccaneer athletic news.

 

Game 1: Jacksonville 12, ETSU 10 (April 11, 2009 at Johnson City, Tenn.)
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JU.................. 012  042  102   - 12   16     3   (22-10, 11-6 A-Sun)

ETSU............ 231  400  000   - 10   14     4   (14-17, 6-11 A-Sun)

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Pitchers: ETSU - Josh Gonzaga; Bo Reeder (6); Ben Allen (7); Darren Caldwell (7); Dustin Plumlee (9)

JU - Matt Tomshaw; Clay Kollenbaum (2); Kyle Kriech (4); Chris Kaminski (7)

Win - Chris Kaminski (3-0) Loss - Dustin Plumlee (3-5)

Home Runs - ETSU - Danny Petro (7)

JU - Thomas Myers (7);  Jeremy Gillan (5); Chris Connelly 2(4)

 

 

Game 2: Jacksonville 4, ETSU 3 (April 11, 2009 at Johnson City, Tenn.)
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JU.................. 001  000  021   -  4      7      2   (23-10, 12-6 A-Sun)

ETSU............ 000  000  021   -  3      8      1   (14-18, 6-12 A-Sun)

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Pitchers: ETSU - Darren Caldwell; Dustin Plumlee (8)

JU - Sean Green; Carson Andrew (7); Matt Tomshaw (9)

Win - Sean Green (1-0) Loss - Darren Caldwell (4-1) Save - Matt Tomshaw (1)

Home Runs - ETSU - Jacob Fabry (1)