Saturday, April 10, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (April 10, 2010) - After dropping the first game of a doubleheader 9-3 to Jacksonville, the ETSU baseball team flexed its muscles taking the second game from JU 11-4 Saturday at Sessions Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.

The win gave the Bucs (19-12, 8-4 A-Sun) their sixth series win and their third in conference play.

Both Bo Reeder (Cookeville, Tenn.) and Ben Booker (Knoxville, Tenn.) had good starts for ETSU. Reeder was tabbed with his second loss of the season in the first game after surrendering nine runs (four earned) on nine hits in 6.0 innings with four strikeouts.

Booker was masterful in game two taking a shutout into the eighth as he improved to 4-0 on the season. The junior right hander threw 8.0 complete scattering ten hits while striking out four.

Matt Tomshaw earned the complete game win for the Dolphins (17-16, 9-6 A-Sun) in game one, while Kyle Kriech was tabbed with the loss in game two giving up seven runs (six earned) on six hits in 3.0 innings of work.

On the day, Derek Niesman (Wellington, Fla.) and Chas Byrne (Johnson City, Tenn.) led the way offensively for the Bucs. Niesman was 4-for-7 and scored four runs, while Byrne had five hits and three RBI.

The Bucs grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the in the first inning of game one. After a two out walk to Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) and a single up the middle by Derek Trent (Kingsport, Tenn.), Reeder drove a double to the gap in right center scoring Hoilman. Trent was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the inning as the Dolphin defense made a good relay to get the Buccaneer catcher.

The Dolphins exploded for five runs on three hits and four ETSU errors in the bottom of the second to take a 5-1 lead.

ETSU cut into the JU lead in the fourth as Trent came in to score on a single through the right side by second baseman Kerry Doane (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) to make the score 5-2 Dolphins.

Jacksonville tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth as Alex Martinez came in to score on a sac fly to left by Dan Gulbransen to give JU a 6-2 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Dolphins added three runs on four hits to increase the JU lead to 9-2. RBI doubles by Jonathan Murphy and Jamaal Hawkins highlighted the inning for Jacksonville.

The Bucs added a run in the seventh as Niesman came in to score on a Byrne single to make the final 9-3 Dolphins.

In the second game, the Bucs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the second inning scoring five runs on three hits. A two-run double by Cory Betterson (Atlanta, Ga.) and a two-run triple by Byrne highlighted the scoring for ETSU.

Sophomore Andrew Green (Powell, Tenn.) added a run for the Bucs in the third as he singled in Niesman to make the score 6-0.

ETSU increased its lead to 8-0 in the fourth on a two-run home run by Matthew Scruggs (Knoxville, Tenn.) to left. The home run was the sixth of the year and the second of the series for Scruggs.

The Buccaneers busted the game wide open in the fifth as three runs came in to score on four hits to extend the ETSU lead to 11-0. RBI singles by Scruggs and Hoilman highlighted the scoring for the Bucs in the inning.

Jacksonville ended the shutout in the eighth as the Dolphins scored four runs on five hits including a two-run home run by Chris Connelly to make the score 11-4.

In the ninth, sophomore Bo Burton (Kingsport, Tenn.) came in and threw a scoreless inning of relief to make the final 11-4.

The Bucs are back in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. as they head to Spartanburg, S.C. to play Wofford in a non-conference game. Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on ETSU baseball and all other Buccaneer athletic news.

Game 1: Jacksonville 9, ETSU 3 (April 10, 2010 at Jacksonville, Fla.)
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ETSU............ 100  100  100      -      3    11  5  (18-12, 7-4 A-Sun)

JU.................. 050  013  00x   -  9    10     0   (17-15, 9-5 A-Sun)

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Pitchers: ETSU - Bo Reeder; Drew Story (7)

JU - Matt Tomshaw

Win - Matt Tomshaw (4-1) Loss - Bo Reeder (2-2)

Game 2: ETSU 11, Jacksonville 4 (April 10, 2010 at Jacksonville, Fla.)
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ETSU............ 051  230  000  - 11   14     0   (19-12, 8-4 A-Sun)

JU.................. 000  000  040      -      4    10  1  (17-16, 9-6 A-Sun)

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Pitchers: ETSU - Ben Booker; Bo Burton (9)

JU - Kyle Kriech; Glenn Witkowski (4); Brian Gilroy (5); Clay Kollenbaum (6)

Win - Ben Booker (4-0) Loss - Kyle Kriech (0-3)

HR - ETSU - Matthew Scruggs (6)

JU - Chris Connelly (2)