Bucs Byrne Hatters, 4-2; Face Bisons On Friday

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