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5/21/2009 - BASEBALL
Bucs Byrne Hatters, 4-2; Face Bisons on Friday
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Courtesy ASunPhotos.com
DELAND, Fla. - Playing in its first Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship game in three years, ETSU eliminated host Stetson 4-2 thanks to the pitching of Chas Bryne and Darren Caldwell on Thursday from Stetson’s Melching Field at Conrad Park.
Bryne started and won it for ETSU (25-27) as he tossed 6.1 innings of two-run, five-hit ball. The tall right-hander carried a shut out into the seventh before surrendering a two-run home run to All-Freshman performer Mark Jones. Caldwell picked up the final seven outs of the game to earn his fourth save and help the Bucs avenge a regular season series sweep that saw the Hatters outscore them 36-11.
Scoreless entering the fourth, ETSU pushed across the first run of the night without benefit of a hit courtesy of a two-out rally that began with a hit-by-pitch to Derek Trent. He took second on a wild pitch from Hatters starter Andy Mauldin and scored on a fielding error by third baseman Sean Emory off the bat of Ben Allen.
The lead grew to 3-0 an inning later when Cory Betterson, who reached on an earlier error, scored from third on a throwing error by Stetson catcher Nick Rickles while second team All-Atlantic Sun outfielder Troy Mendez added an RBI single. In the seventh, the Bucs tallied their final run of the night as Petterson scored for a second time – this time thanks to a single from Bo Reeder.
In the bottom of the seventh, Bryne’s final inning of work, he retired Aaron Crittenden on a warning track drive to right field before walking Rickles. Jones hammered a 2-1 offering over the fence in right cutting the margin in half. After a second walk in the inning, head coach Tony Skole pulled the right-hander in favor of Josh Gonzaga. After Gonzaga allowed a walk and a single sandwiched around a strikeout, Skole again turned to the bullpen, bringing in Caldwell to face Jeff Simpson with the bases loaded. Caldwell won the battle as Simpson grounded into a force play.
Stetson (27-30) could only muster a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth spanning Caldwell’s final two innings of work. Mauldin took the loss as he finished the season at 6-4 while Byrne improved to that same record.
The Buccaners move into the double-elimination portion of the bracket where they will face the Bisons from Lipscomb, at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Lipscomb took two of three against ETSU during the final weekend of the regular season.
Action begins early from Melching Field with Jacksonville and Belmont taking the field at 9:30 a.m. in the first of four games schedule for Friday. Following the Bisons and Bucs
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
