ETSU rallies to down Bulldogs in 12, 5-4

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – East Tennessee State erased a four-run deficit with four runs in the sixth inning and Jordan Sanford's bunt single in the 12th inning gave the Buccaneers a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Bryant University baseball team on Saturday afternoon at Thomas Stadium.

The Bulldogs (6-7) saw their three-game winning streak snapped with the loss, while the Buccaneers (8-10) snapped a three-game losing streak. Bryant is now 0-4 in extra-inning games this season. The rubber match is set for noon on Sunday.

Bryant dominated the majority of the game but stranded 15 runners on base and missed out on several chances to grab the lead in the late innings. Instead, ETSU took advantage of an infield error to start the 12th inning. Andrew Lasure reached on an error, advanced to third on a single to right-center and scored as Sanford laid down a safety squeeze to give the Buccaneers the win.

It was all Bulldogs over the first 5 1/2 innings as junior Kevin McAvoy (Syracuse, N.Y.) dominated on the mound and the offense chipped away. Senior Tom Gavitt (North Stonington, Conn.) opened the scoring in the third as he ripped a triple to right-center and came around to score on an errant pickoff throw. The very next inning, Gavitt unloaded on a 1-0 pitch to deep left-center for a two-out RBI triple to make it 2-0.

Bryant tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to push their lead to 4-0. Junior Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.) started the fifth with a single and stole second and came around to score as freshman Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) laced a single up the middle to make it 3-0. In the sixth, sophomore Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0.

Overmatched for the first five innings, ETSU strung together a big inning to tie the game in the sixth. Jeremy Taylor singled with one out, Dylan Tritsch was hit and Clinton Freeman singled to left to plate the first Buccaneer run. Chris Riopedre followed with a two-run double to right-center and Lasure capped the big inning with a game-tying single through the left side.

With the game tied, Bryant had chances to break the deadlock in the ninth, 10th and 12th innings. The Bulldogs put two on with one out in the ninth but back-to-back pop ups ended the threat. They put two on with two outs in the 10th but failed to score and moved the lead run into scoring position in the final inning but couldn't get the big hit.

Saddled with a no decision, McAvoy enjoyed one of the finest starts of his Bulldog career. He went 7.1 innings, allowing four runs on five hits, a walk and posted seven strikeouts. The right-hander retired the first eight batters of the game and didn't allow a hit until a one-out single in the fifth. After being touched for four runs in the sixth, he bounced back to strikeout three of the final four batters he faced. In all, he induced 11 ground ball outs and threw just 87 pitches in the second longest outing of his career.

The tough-luck loser, James Davitt (Wallingford, Conn.) was dominant for the Bulldogs in relief. He worked 3.2 innings, allowing the one unearned run on three hits while striking out four. He came on with two outs in the eighth and got a strikeout to end the frame. He struck out two in a perfect ninth, stranded a runner on second in the 10th and worked a perfect 11th before suffering the loss in the 12th.

Offensively, Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.), Gavitt and Cellucci all finished with three hits. Rinn reached base five times, junior John Mullen (Walpole, Mass.) drew three walks and Anderson stole a pair of bases.

The Bulldogs and Buccaneers will meet at noon on Sunday in the series finale.