Bucs split pair of games with rival Mocs

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 27, 2019) – ETSU split its final regular-season doubleheader on Saturday at Betty Basler Field, taking the second game against in-state rival Chattanooga. The Bucs rebounded after a tough 9-0 loss in game one with a 4-3 victory in game two, improving to 19-22-2 on the season and 5-8 in league play.

Game 1: Chattanooga 9, ETSU 0 (6 Innings)
The Bucs pitched out of a jam in the opening inning as Taylor Boling (Jasper, Ga.) induced an inning-ending pop up to Lauren Lee (Cleveland, Tenn.). Boling stranded the bases loaded full of Mocs, escaping with the scoreless first frame.

ETSU had a chance of its own in the bottom of the fourth inning after back-to-back singles with nobody out. Two batters later, Renae Spears (Memphis, Tenn.) laced a single through the right side of the infield for the third hit of the inning. Anissa Avila (Black Mountain, N.C.) was thrown out at home, trying to score from second for the game’s first run. The Bucs would go on to strand runners at first and second to conclude the fourth.

The sixth inning was all Chattanooga as the Mocs plated nine runs on 10 hits for the 9-0 lead. The Mocs tallied six consecutive one-out base hits, resulting in four of their nine runs. Chattanooga continued the scoring onslaught after two outs, registering four more hits for five runs to conclude the inning.

The Bucs were unable to cut into the deficit in the home half of the sixth inning, concluding the game after six innings of work.

Pitchers of Record
» Win: Celie Hudson (11-8)
» Loss: Taylor Boling (7-9)

Stat of the Game
Chattanooga scored nine runs in the sixth inning after both teams combined for just nine hits and zero runs through five innings of work. The nine runs marked the most runs allowed in a single inning this season, passing the eight-run fourth inning that Presbyterian scored against the Bucs on Feb. 10.

Notables
» Five different Bucs tallied a base hit in the contest, led by Taylor Wright’s (Erwin, Tenn.) two-hit performance.
» Boling picked up her ninth loss after yielding nine runs on 14 hits in six innings of work.
» ETSU falls to 10-25 all-time against Chattanooga, including 4-9 when squaring off against the Mocs at Betty Basler Field.

Game 2: ETSU 4, Chattanooga 3
The fans did not have to wait long for the game’s first run as Nikki Grupp (Jacksonville, Fla.) unloaded on her 11^th home run of the season, a solo blast over the left field wall for the 1-0 lead in the home half of the first inning.

Two innings later, Grupp struck again. This time the Florida native singled through the right side of the infield with bases loaded and nobody out, bringing home Lee from third. The Bucs added two more runs after Wright and Kylie Toler (Bradenton, Fla.) drew bases-loaded walks to stretch the ETSU lead to 4-0.

Chattanooga pulled within one run in the opening half of the fifth inning after Aly Walker lifted a two-out, three-run homer to left field to trim the ETSU lead to 4-3.

After a leadoff single in the top half of the sixth inning, MacKenzie Dyson (Hanahan, S.C.) entered the game in relief, concluding the day for Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) who threw five innings of work and allowed just three runs on four hits and finished with five strikeouts. Dyson threw two scoreless innings of work, earning her first collegiate save as she fended off the Mocs’ offense, holding tight to the 4-3 victory.

Pitchers of Record
» Win: Kelly Schmidt (8-9)
» Loss: Mariah Ramirez (12-2)
» Save: MacKenzie Dyson (1)

Stat of the Game
The Bucs were patient at the plate in game two, drawing six walks and scoring four runs on four hits. Two of the six walks came with bases loaded to stretch the ETSU lead. The Bucs handed Mariah Ramirez just her second loss of the season.

Player of the Game
Nikki Grupp came through in the clutch for ETSU, finishing 2-for-2 with one homer and two RBIs. Grupp also drew a walk and scored one run in game two, reaching base in all three plate appearances.

Notables
» Schmidt picked up her team-leading eighth win, while Dyson earned her first collegiate save in the circle.
» Grupp moved into a tie for third-most homers in a single season with 11, while also sliding into a tie for the second-most RBIs in a single season in program history with 43.
» Kelly Warren (Mechanicsville, Va.) was the only other Buc to record a hit, finishing 2-of-3 at the dish.
» ETSU improves to 11-25 when facing Chattanooga and 5-9 when playing at Betty Basler Field.

Record Update
» ETSU: 19-22-2, 5-8 SoCon
» Chattanooga: 30-13, 8-6 SoCon

Up Next
ETSU will square off with Chattanooga in the rubber match on Sunday, April 28 starting at 1 p.m. Tomorrow’s contest will also serve as Senior Day for four of our student-athletes.

Keeping up with the Bucs
For complete information on ETSU softball, follow the program via social media on Twitter (@ETSUSoftball), Instagram (@etsubucssoftball) and Facebook (@BucSoftball). For more information on Buccaneer softball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the softball link.