JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Feb. 27, 2009) - The ETSU baseball team came back to beat Rider 8-7 on a Danny Petro (Atlanta, Ga.) walk-off hit Friday afternoon at Cardinal Park.

"College baseball is such a game of momentum, and even though there were numerous lead changes I thought our guys really handled themselves well today," said head coach Tony Skole. "I was a little disappointed because I thought we gave away some at bats, but we also got some big hits in clutch situations."

Dustin Plumlee (Powell, Tenn.) pitched well for the Bucs (4-1) as he came in, in the seventh and closed out the game. Plumlee held the Broncs to one run on one hit in three innings of work as he picked up his second win of the season.

The Bucs got on the board in the bottom of the first as Paul Hoilman (Johnson City, Tenn.) drove in Jacob Fabry (Chattanooga, Tenn.) on a sac fly to center to give ETSU a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Sean Olson homered to left center to tie the game at 1-all.

The Broncs took the lead in the top of the fifth as a Matt McCollum came in to score on an ETSU error. Later in the inning, Olson singled to center driving in one run, but Steve Galella was thrown out at the plate as Petro made a diving tag to get the final out of the inning, 3-1 Rider.

Fabry evened things up in the bottom of the fifth as he singled to left center scoring Matthew Scruggs (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Ben Allen (Kingsport, Tenn.). Freshman Bo Reeder (Cookeville, Tenn.) put the Bucs ahead in the next at bat as he launched a two-run home run over the fence in left center to make the score 5-3.

Rider answered in the top of the sixth as A.J. Albee hit a three-run home run to left center to give the Broncs a 6-5 lead.

ETSU made the score 6-all in the bottom of the sixth when Allen doubled down the left field line to score Petro.

Nick Wojnowski put the Broncs back in front in the top of the eighth with a solo home run to right center to make the score 7-6 Rider.

With the Bucs down a run in the bottom of the ninth, Hoilman came through as he doubled to right center driving in Reeder to tie the game at 7-all. Later in the inning, Petro hit a walk off single to left center to bring in the winning run (Hoilman), after the Broncs intentionally loaded the bases to get a force play at home, to make the final 8-7 ETSU.

The Bucs out hit Rider 12-8 in the game. ETSU was led offensively by Fabry as he was 3-for-5 in the game with two RBI and scored two runs. Allen and Petro had two hits and drove in a run.

ETSU will face Rider in a double-header tomorrow starting at noon. Please visit www.ETSUBucs.com for more information on ETSU baseball and all other Buccaneer athletic news.

ETSU 8, Rider 7 (Feb. 27, 2009 at Johnson City, Tenn.)
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RU.............000  123  010   -  7  8  2  (2-1)

ETSU.. ......100  041  002   -  8  12  4  (4-1)

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Pitchers: ETSU - Chas Byrne; Dustin Plumlee (7)

RU - Jimmer Kennedy, Mike Thomas (5); Mike Petrowski (6)
Win - Dustin Plumlee (2-0) Loss - Mike Petrowski (0-1)

HR - ETSU - Bo Reeder (2)

RU - Sean Olson (1); Nick Wojnowski (1); A.J. Albee (1)