Bucs early deficit too much to overcome, falls to Tennessee Tech at home

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WCYB) — Before the Bucs ever stepped into the batter's box on Wednesday night, they found themselves in a deep hole down 3-0 - and from there it was a tough uphill battle.

While the Bucs had several chances to strike back and inch towards a comeback, the story of the game was leaving runners on base.

The Bucs left 10 runners stranded throughout the night. ETSU had the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth innings, but only pushed across one run. Overall, the Bucs were 2-of-9 with runners in scoring position and 2-of-12 with runners on base.

On the other side, Tennessee Tech jumped out to the 3-0 first-inning lead with RBI singles, while three of its final four runs came via the long ball – all solo shots. Cameron Lauretta got the starting nod in the circle for ETSU and suffered the loss (0-2) after allowing five runs on five hits with three walks in 2.1 innings.

The Bucs now fall to (5-19), while Tennessee Tech improved to (15-11).

The Bucs jump back into conference play this Friday as ETSU travels to take on league-leading Chattanooga. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.