Sunday, March 07, 2010

Byrne lifts Bucs to series win over #30 St. John's

For Immediate Release

Contact: Jeff Schneider (423) 439-5612

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 7, 2010) - Junior Chas Byrne (Johnson City, Tenn.) drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth as the ETSU baseball team defeated No. 30 St. John's 8-6 to take the series Sunday at Cardinal Park.

"Today was a great win," said head coach Tony Skole. "I am really proud of our guys as they showed a lot of poise and character winning a big game against a really good ball club in St. John's. I thought we had some guys get some big hits late in the game."

The Bucs (8-2) pounded out five extra base hits including three home runs in the win. Freshman Kerry Doane (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) earned the win to improve to 1-0 on the season, while Bo Burton (Kingsport, Tenn.) threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his third save of the season.

"We also had some clutch pitching and great defense, which I thought was the difference in the game," Skole said. "It was a great college baseball game, and we had to fight really hard. We are excited, and hopefully this will give us something we can build on."

Kevin Kilpatrick was tabbed with the loss for the Red Storm (7-2) after going 0.2 innings with one run on one hit.

First baseman Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) gave ETSU a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as he crushed his fourth home run of the season over the fence in left.

After a triple to center with one out in the top of the second by shortstop Joe Panik, St. John's tied the game at 1-all on a ball hit to short by Jeremy Baltz.

The Red Storm took the lead in the top of the fourth on a two-run single Baltz to make the score 3-1 STJ.

In the bottom of the fifth, junior catcher Derek Trent (Kingsport, Tenn.) hammered the first pitch he saw over the fence in right for a three-run home run to give ETSU a 4-3 lead.

The Bucs held St. John's scoreless in the sixth, but would lose the lead in the seventh on a two run double by Jimmy Parque as the Red Storm went back in front 5-4.

Third baseman Bo Reeder (Cookeville, Tenn.) answered for the Buccaneers in the bottom of the seventh as he deposited an 0-1 pitch over the right field fence for a two-run home run to regain the lead, 6-5.

Panik led off the top of the eighth with a double to center field, and then came in to score on a single back up the middle by second baseman Sean O'Hare to tie the game at 6-all.

Kilpatrick came in the for the Red Storm in the ninth and got two quick outs, but then ETSU came to life as Garrett May (Marietta, Ga.) doubled to right. After Matthew Scruggs (Knoxville, Tenn.) drew a walk, Byrne singled down the line in left scoring May from second to give the Bucs a 7-6 lead. ETSU added an insurance run as Scruggs came in to score after walks to Hoilman and Trent to make the final 8-6.

Hoilman and Doane led the Buccaneers offensively as Hoilman was 3-for-4 with a home run and scored three runs, while Doane was 2-for-4 with a double. Trent and Reeder also had good days at the plate as they combined for two home runs and six RBI.

The Bucs are back in action next Friday at 7 p.m. as they host SIU Edwardsville in a three game series. Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on ETSU baseball and all other Buccaneer athletic news.

ETSU 8, No. 30 St. John's 6 (March 7, 2010 at Johnson City, Tenn.)
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SJU............... 010  200  210      -      6    11  0  (7-2)

ETSU............ 100  030  22x    -  8    10     2   (8-2)

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Pitchers: ETSU - Josh Means; Bo Reeder (6); Kerry Doane (8); Bo Burton (9)

SJU - Miguel Valcarcel; Kyle Hansen (5); Kevin Kilpatrick (8); Eddie Medina (8)

Win - Kerry Doane (1-0) Loss - Kevin Kilpatrick (0-1) Save - Bo Burton (3)

HR - ETSU - Paul Hoilman (4); Derek Trent (3); Bo Reeder (2)