Thursday, February 16, 2006

(February 16, 2006) - Senior Shane Byrne (Johnson City, Tenn.) hit two home runs and two triples, going 5-for-8 on the day, and the ETSU baseball squad split a non-conference doubleheader against the Musketeers of Xavier University Thursday afternoon at Cardinal Park.

The Bucs (3-3) took game one 10-7, led by Byrne and senior first baseman Blake Church (Roswell, Ga.) who combined for six RBI in the contest.  The pair hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning, giving the Bucs the lead for good.

Trailing 3-2 entering the frame, senior shortstop Chuck Hargis (Powell, Tenn.) roped a one-out double to left, and Byrne brought him home with a mammoth blast to right center for his first homer of the season.  Church followed with a laser over the left field wall, and the Bucs had a 5-3 lead they would never relinquish.

Senior Jeremy Hall (Gray, Tenn.) improved to 2-0 on the season, pitching five-plus innings and surrendering six hits while striking out six Musketeer batters.  Senior Steven Calicutt (Spartanburg, S.C.) picked up his second save of the season, pitching the ninth inning and preserving the Bucs' three-run win.  Mike Creevey absorbed the loss for Xavier, falling to 0-1.

The Musketeers (1-1) responded in the nightcap, exploding for seven eighth inning runs, breaking open a tie game and cruising to a 10-5 victory.

With the game tied at three entering the inning, the Musketeers sent seven batters to the plate and scored six runs off of three Buccaneer pitchers before ETSU recorded a single out.  Third baseman Drew Roberts delivered the death blow for the Musketeers, crushing a three-run homer off freshman Darren Caldwell (Spartanburg, S.C.) for a 9-3 advantage.

Tony Lombardi took the loss for the Bucs, falling to 0-2, and Matt Lucas picked up the win in relief of starter Bill Konecny.

The game two victory snapped an 11 game Buccaneer winning streak in the series.

The two teams meet again Friday afternoon in the series finale.  First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.