Bucs close Buccaneer Classic with a win

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (March 2, 2020) – The 2020 Buccaneer Classic concluded with a shortened final day on Monday at Betty Basler Field due to inclement weather. However, the Bucs were able to complete one of two scheduled games, defeating Bowling Green by the final score of 4-3 to wrap up an undefeated weekend at the Buccaneer Classic that included a marquee win over No. 20 Tennessee on Sunday afternoon. With the win on Monday morning, the Bucs improved to 7-10 on the young campaign.

The Bucs scored in the opening inning despite registering zero hits. Julia Fritz (Glen Allen, Va.) reached base safely following an error on the Bowling Green center fielder, allowing Fritz to trot into second. Two batters later, Kelly Warren (Mechanicsville, Va.) brought home Fritz from third with an RBI sacrifice fly to straight away center field.

Neither offense could muster any momentum as the Bucs were actually held hitless heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. With two runners on and two outs, ETSU received its first hit of the ball game as Kylie Toler (Bradenton, Fla.) punished a 1-1 pitch over the right center field wall. Toler’s homer, her third of the season and second of the weekend, ruined the no-hit bid for the Falcons and extended the ETSU lead to 4-0.

Things got interesting in the top half of the seventh inning after Bowling Green plated two runs with a one-out single through the left side of the infield to trim the Buccaneer lead in half. Taylor Boling (Jasper, Ga.) then entered the game in relief of Kelly Schmidt (Norcross, Ga.) and struck out the first batter she faced for the second out. The Falcons then cut the deficit in half yet again, this time with a double off the center field wall. Boling buckled down and induced a game-ending ground out to third to lift ETSU to its third consecutive win by fending off the Falcons for the 4-3 victory.

Pitchers of Record
» Win: Kelly Schmidt (3-1)
» Loss: Payton Gottshall (6-5)
» Save: Taylor Boling (1)

Stat of the Game
ETSU won its seventh game of the season and third in a row by scoring four runs on just one hit, a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Notables
» Schmidt earned her third consecutive win in the circle for the Bucs, throwing 6.1 innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits.
» Boling picked up the club’s first save of the season and the fifth in her career, moving her into a tie for third-most in program history.
» Toler came through in the clutch yet again for the Bucs, delivering a two-out home run off the ETSU scoreboard.  
» Toler concluded the tournament batting 4-of-8 at the plate with three extra base hits, two home runs and nine RBIs.
» ETSU now improves to 3-4 all-time when facing the Falcons of Bowling Green, avenging a 3-0 loss to Bowling Green last season in Boiling Springs, N.C.

Record Update
» ETSU: 7-10
» Bowling Green: 6-6

Up Next
The Bucs are back in action this Friday, March 6 at the Tennessee Invitational hosted by the Lady Vols in Knoxville, Tenn. ETSU will take on Toledo, Tennessee and Stanford in that order before competing in a bracket play beginning on Saturday.

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.

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