Bucs dominate 11-0 in opener, finish series with walk-off victory

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 11, 2023) – ETSU fans were treated to some exciting baseball on Saturday at Thomas Stadium, as the Bucs won both games of an afternoon doubleheader against Winthrop to snag a three-game weekend series.

The two Buccaneer wins were on opposite ends of the spectrum, as the first matchup of the day ended by run-rule in the seventh inning, 11-0. The nightcap and series finale ended on a walk-off in the ninth as Skyler Cannady (Nicholasville, Ky.) crossed home on a passed ball to complete a 5-4 victory.

The Bucs move back on the right side of .500 with an 8-7 overall record, while Winthrop dips to an even 8-8. ETSU also improves to a 7-3 record at home — winning all three of its home weekend sets to open the season, while claiming a midweek victory over Appalachian State, to boot.

GAME 1 – ETSU 11, Winthrop 0 (7)

In a game that was scheduled for nine innings, a complete effort by the Buccaneers and an agreement by both head coaches at the seventh inning stretch awarded ETSU a lopsided 11-0 victory to even the series. The Bucs are now 3-0 when scoring at least 10 runs in a game, including wins over Toledo and Georgia Southern.

The Bucs came to bat with 11 runs on 13 hits, while the pitching duo of junior transfer Austin Emener (Macon, Ga.) and graduate transfer Leif Bigelow (Brattleboro, Ver.) preserved a shutout on the other side of the scoreboard.

Emener gets his first win as a Buccaneer, going 5.2 innings with just one hit allowed. He walked six batters, but never allowed any of them to score while tallying four strikeouts. Meanwhile, Bigelow came in for 1.1 innings and got the Bucs out of a bases-loaded jam, then finished the job in the seventh with just 15 total pitches in his outing.

Offensively, ETSU was propelled by six runs in the third inning. Tommy Barth (Brecksville, Ohio) started the string of runs with a double that brough home Cannady. Barth tallied the second run in the next at-bat with an RBI single from freshman Cody Miller (Rocky Point, N.Y.). Two more crossed on a no-doubt homer off the bat of Garett Wallace (Sanford, Fla.), then a passed ball and an RBI single by Ashton King (Knoxville, Tenn.) capped the big inning.

Five more runs crossed in the fourth and fifth innings, as Barth hit an RBI single and Wallace skied a sac fly into foul territory. The swing of that bat that capped things early was a three-run shot to left-center by Noah Webb (Kodak, Tenn.), who subbed in as a defensive replacement at catcher in the previous inning. This marked Webb’s first at-bat in six games — one which he made the most of — and his first homer of the season.

Nick Iannantone (Plainfield, Ill.) was the team’s leading hitter, going 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Barth and Miller had a pair of hits each, while Webb, Cannady, King, Wallace, Ethan Plyler (Lexington, S.C.) and starting catcher Ryan McCarthy (Knoxville, Tenn.) added one hit each to the parade.

PITCHERS OF RECORD

Win – Austin Emener (1-1)

Loss – Dyson Johnson (1-1)

Save – None

GAME 2 – ETSU 5, Winthrop 4

The series finale was much more dramatic, as Cannady scored the winning run on a passed ball to send the home dugout and Thomas Stadium crowd into a frenzy with a 5-4 win.

The build-up to this point started with a three-run inning by Winthrop to take an early 3-0 lead. ETSU cut into the deficit with a two-run shot by Webb — his second of the day — to make it 3-2. Starting pitcher Landon Smiddy (Knoxville, Tenn.) turned in a quality start and left his team in striking distance, going 6.0 innings with just four hits and three runs allowed (one earned) while adding four strikeouts and just one free pass.

Entering in the seventh with the game on the line was senior Colby Stuart (Elon, N.C.), who went on to pick up his first win of the season. After a shutout inning before the stretch, the Bucs surged back ahead as Wallace doubled home two runners following a one-out pinch hit single by Jared Paladino (Levittown, N.Y.). Cannady pinch ran for Paladino and Barth singled his way on, setting the table for Wallace to drive them home.

The Eagles answered with a solo shot by McKinley Erves in the eighth, but that would be all the damage done that frame. With the game tied in the ninth, Winthrop threatened with a runner in scoring position. The would-be go-ahead run rounded third on a single, but was lasered down by Wallace in left field and tagged by catcher Marshall Awtry (Wilmington, Del.) to keep it tied. Stuart got a groundout immediately after and tossed it to first to end the inning.

The bottom of the ninth brought even more thrills, as Cannady rolled one to shortstop and slid head-first into the bag for an exciting infield single. Cannady later moved into scoring position on a walk to Barth, then he moved 90 feet away from home thanks to a wild pitch. After intentionally walking Miller to load the bases with one out, the Eagles survived with a strikeout from Brody Hopkins — the designated-hitter that came into pitch with one out in the ninth. This then brought up Cameron Sisneros (Littleton, Colo.) who stood in and watched a ball tip off the catcher’s mitt and to the backstop for Cannady’s winning run.

Both teams totaled 10 hits in the effort, with Barth and Miller once again compiling two-hit days at the top of the order. Wallace, Webb, Paladino, Cannady, Plyler and King accounted for the other six.

PITCHERS OF RECORD

Win – Colby Stuart (1-0)

Loss – Brody Hopkins (0-3)

Save – None

TEAM RECORDS

ETSU: 8-7

Winthrop: 8-8

NEXT GAME

The Bucs will host No. 11 ranked Virginia Tech in a much-anticipated showdown on Tuesday, March 14. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. at Thomas Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

For more information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab.

🔊 Postgame thoughts from winning pitcher @ColbyStuart30 as the Bucs take a three game series from Winthrop.#BucsBaseball // #ETSUTough pic.twitter.com/CLA0SzyiZ2

— ETSU Baseball (@ETSU_Baseball) March 12, 2023