Schmidt tosses third no-hitter in program history; Bucs run-rule Saint Peter’s and Jackson State

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 9, 2018) – Sophomore pitcher Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) joined an elite group in the ETSU softball record book on Friday.  

Schmidt tossed the third no-hitter in program history to guide the Blue and Gold to a sweep on the opening day of the Buccaneer Classic at Betty Basler Field. The Buccaneer right-hander registered a career-high seven strikeouts and walked two, as ETSU defeated Jackson State, 8-0 (five innings), to cap off day one of its home tournament. Earlier in the day, the Bucs pounded out 12 hits en route to cruising to a 9-1 five-inning win over Saint Peter’s.

Schmidt recorded the Bucs’ first no-hitter since April 4, 2009, when Marissa Hardy and Shelby Morris combined for a perfect game against NC Central. Hardy tossed ETSU’s first no-hitter back on April 7, 2007 against Virginia Intermont.

Schmidt allowed three base runners – two walks (both in the fifth inning) and an error in the top of the second inning. Following the error, Schmdit retired 10 straight Jackson State hitters before issuing back-to-back one-out walks in the fifth. To go with her seven strikeouts, Schmdit induced three ground outs and five fly outs, while tossing 71 pitches to earn the win (2-2).

ETSU – who improved to 8-9 on the season – scored runs in all nine innings on Friday as the Blue and Gold outscored their two opponents, 17-1. In total, the Bucs out-hit Saint Peter’s and Jackson State, 19-2, while nine different players accounted for at least one hit, including senior outfielder Emma Martindale (Johnson City, Tenn.) belting her first collegiate home run – a two-run, third-inning blast against Jackson State. Seven Buccaneers drove in at least one run, while seven players also scored at least one run.

Fellow local standout Taylor Wright (Erwin, Tenn.) continued swinging a hot bat as she rose her batting average 82 percentage points to a team-leading .467 after going 4-for-4 with a double, walk and three RBI on Friday. Wright’s Erwin, Tenn. counterpart, Tiffany Laughren, also had a productive day at the plate as she finished 2-for-4 with two walks, a double and scored three runs, while freshman outfielder Kelly Warren (Mechanicsville, Va.) went 5-for-6 with an RBI, four stolen bases and four runs scored. Sophomore third baseman Nikki Grupp (Jacksonville, Fla.) connected on her third home run of the season – a two-run shot in the first inning against Saint Peter’s – and scored four runs on the afternoon.

As a team, the Blue and Gold dominated offensively, as ETSU hit .538 (14-for-26) with runners on base, .556 (10-of-18) with runners in scoring position and .563 (9-for-16) with two outs. In addition, the Bucs drove in seven of their 15 RBI with two outs, and only struck out four times in 42-at bats – including none in 21 at-bats against Saint Peter’s. After stealing seven more bases in the two games, ETSU moved its season total to 24 (27 attempts), marking the most in a season since the 2015 Bucs totaled 38.

The Buccaneer pitching staff – Schmidt, Madison Ogle (Maryville, Tenn.) and Marissa Honeycutt (Kingsport, Tenn.) – combined to go 2-0 with a 0.70 ERA (1 ER/10.0 IP) and 11 strikeouts on the day. The trio held the opposition to a pair of singles and a .063 batting average (2-for-32). Ogle earned the win (5-4) against Saint Peter’s after holding the Peacocks to one run on two hits with three strikeouts in four innings of work. Honeycutt retired the three hitters she faced in the fifth (one strikeout).

The Bucs return to action on Saturday afternoon as ETSU takes on Austin Peay at 3:15 p.m. and Saint Peter’s at 5:15 p.m. Austin Peay and Jackson State will open day two with an 11 a.m. first pitch at Betty Basler Field.

With the setbacks, Saint Peter’s moved to 2-5 on the season, while Jackson State dipped to 3-8.

BUCCANEER CLASSIC SCHEDULE

Friday, March 9, 2018

Saint Peters 9, Jackson State 1 (Five Innings)

ETSU 9, Saint Peter’s 1 (Five Innings)

ETSU 8, Jackson State 0 (Five Innings)

Saturday, March 10, 2018

11:00 a.m.  Austin Peay (H) vs. Jackson State (V) | LIVE STATS

1 p.m.  Saint Peter’s (H) vs. Jackson State (V) | LIVE STATS

3:15 p.m.   Austin Peay (V) vs. ETSU (H) | LIVE STATS

5:15 p.m.  Saint Peter’s (V) vs. ETSU (H) | LIVE STATS

Sunday, March 11, 2018

10:00 a.m.  Austin Peay (V) vs. Saint Peter’s (H) | LIVE STATS

12:15 p.m.  Jackson State (V) vs. ETSU (H) | LIVE STATS

2:30 p.m. Austin Peay (V) vs. ETSU (H) | LIVE STATS

COVERAGE

Live Stats will be available for each game this weekend via StatBroadcast. Click here or visit BucsStats.com to access the live stats links.

Twitter updates will also be provided via @ETSUSoftball and full recaps will be posted on ETSUBucs.com at the conclusion of each day of the tournament.

For more information on Buccaneer softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball page