ETSU rallies for three runs in ninth inning for comeback victory

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 11, 2023) – Down 5-3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Buccaneers answered the call.

For the second straight game, the ETSU baseball team sent the crowd home happy with a walk-off hit from Cameron Sisneros (Littleton, Colo.) as the Bucs defeated Radford by a 6-5 final on Tuesday evening at Thomas Stadium. Sisneros has now had back-to-back walk-off hits, including an RBI single in a 2-1 win over Wofford and a two-RBI double tonight.

Radford took a 5-3 lead in the fourth inning and clang to that lead up until the second out of the ninth inning. With their backs against the wall, the Bucs opted to sub in Jared Paladino (Levittown, N.Y.) as a pinch hitter. Paladino drew a five-pitch walk to give ETSU a baserunner with only one out to spare.

With Kain Collins (Kingston, Tenn.) on to pinch run for Paladino, leadoff hitter Tommy Barth (Brecksville, Ohio) made his way back to the plate and took the first pitch off the body to get the tying run on base. This brought up trusty freshman Cody Miller (Rocky Point, N.Y.) to keep the rally going, who hit a single to right-center to bring home Collins and extend a 13-game hitting streak to 14 in the process.

With Miller on first and Barth 90 feet away on third, Sisneros smacked the first pitch he saw into the wall in right-center, scoring Barth easily and a hustling Miller all the way from first. Miller slid into home right as the throw came from the cut off man, sending the crowd into a frenzy and the dugout onto the field to celebrate with Sisneros.

Two outs in the bottom of the ninth, down 5-4?

Doesn’t matter.

Take it away, @cameronsisnero2 👏#BucsBaseball // #ETSUTough pic.twitter.com/XzMrmsZX4R

— ETSU Baseball (@ETSU_Baseball) April 12, 2023

Sisneros had a big day for the Buccaneers, leading the charge with a 3-for-4 day that included two doubles, a home run and four RBIs. On the mound, ETSU had five pitchers throw scoreless outings to keep the Highlanders at bay. This included Derek McCarley (Seymour, Tenn.) who earned his first collegiate victory.

ETSU (15-15) took an early 2-0 lead thanks to one of three multi-base hits from Sisneros on the day. After Miller reached base on a walk and stole second base, Sisneros hit a gapper for an RBI double. He was followed by the nation’s second-ranked hitter in batting average, Nick Iannantone (Plainfield, Ill.), with a single through the right side to make it 2-0.

Radford’s Ryan Gilmore hit a solo homer in the third to make it 2-1, but Sisneros answered immediately with a solo shot over the train tracks in right field to make it 3-1. The homer was his seventh of the season.

The Highlanders, in the midst of a 17-game skid, came back motivated in the fourth and scored four runs to take a 5-3 lead. This lead held nearly until the end, as both pitching staffs posted goose eggs over the next 11 half-innings. This set up the late heroics from ETSU down to its final out.

Barth joined Sisneros with a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 and scoring one run — the tying run in the ninth. Miller and Iannantone were joined in the hit column by Ashton King (Knoxville, Tenn.) who had a single in the sixth frame. ETSU finished with eight hits on the day.

Meanwhile, the pitching staff posted eight strikeouts to just two walks. Colby Stuart (Elon, N.C.) got things started with 2.0 scoreless frames. As mentioned earlier, McCarley would be the pitcher of record after 2.0 scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth to end it.

Making his first appearance since February, former Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Andrew Ronne (Athens, Tenn.) entered in the sixth inning to replace Trevor Hanselman (Tallahassee, Fla.) and tossed a scoreless inning in his return. Despite an early base knock on the first pitch, Iannantone threw a dart to King covering second to erase a runner trying to extend a single into a double. Ronne then faced the minimum and came out unscathed. 

Ronne, Hanselman and Owen Kovacs (Knoxville, Tenn.) all threw scoreless innings and combined for just two hits allowed over 3.1 innings without any free passes. Kovacs then handed the ball to McCarley to finish the job.

PITCHERS OF RECORD

Win – Derek McCarley (1-0)

Loss – Dylan Howard (1-5)

Save – None

TEAM RECORDS

ETSU: 15-15

Radford: 7-26

ON DECK

ETSU returns to conference play this weekend, hitting the road for a three-game series at Mercer. Game one is set to begin on Friday, April 14 at 6 p.m. in Macon, Ga. 

For up-to-date information on Buccaneer baseball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the baseball tab. Also, follow us on Twitter at @ETSU_Baseball.

Hear from the guy that scored the winning run and continued a 14-game hit streak en route to a walk-off win over Radford!

🔊 @codymiller_14 #BucsBaseball // #ETSUTough pic.twitter.com/d2Lim5qFng

— ETSU Baseball (@ETSU_Baseball) April 12, 2023

"I have not been part of a group like this. It's fun to watch."

After his second walk-off hit in as many games, @ETSU_Baseball 1B @cameronsisnero2 spoke to BSN about the winning hit and the power the 3-4-5 spots in the order can bring to bear. pic.twitter.com/9NGnUpsLWB

— Buc Sports Network (@BucSportsRadio) April 12, 2023