Bucs Lose Early Lead, Drop 13-3

CHARLESTON, SC-  The Buccaneers dropped their contest Wednesday afternoon to the Bulldogs of the Citadel by a final of 13-3.  The loss moves the Bucs to 10-13 on the season while the Bulldogs advance to 10-9. 

The Bulldogs out-hit the Bucs 17-7, but each team went error free for the afternoon.

The Bulldogs’ Matt Talley would record the win in 6.0 innings of work and facing 21 batters.  The Bucs opener TJ Green would tally the loss (1-2) in 5.0 innings of work.  Green started out pitching what may be argued his best showing of the season, holding the Bulldogs scoreless until the sixth inning, but the plight of the Bulldogs would be more than what any of the four Bucs pitchers could hold off in the end.

The Bus led the game early, 2-0, thanks to two solo home runs red-shirt sophomore Nick Chinners and freshman Patrick Dolan.  Chinners’ homer came in the second inning on a walk-off pitch to put the Bucs up 1-0.  It was Chinners first homer of the season.  Dolan would add another, his fourth of the season, on a walk off pitch in the fourth inning, putting the Bucs up 2-0.  The Bucs would hold their lead and the Bulldogs scoreless until the sixth inning when the Bulldogs would drive in six runs.  They would first tie the game at two runs apiece on a two run homer from Bryan Altman.  That would start a scoring drive that the Bucs would be unable to catch.

The Bucs would cut the Bulldog lead to three in the seventh inning after a Bulldog pitching change.  The Bucs would start going two-up, two-down, but score their run of the game after two Bucs reached base on balls.  Brantley Meier would follow with a single to drive home catcher Jake Cox. 

The Bulldogs would add another three runs on two hits in the eighth after doctoring the wet field and mound.  But the field would not help the Bucs as they remained scoreless in the last two innings and the Bulldogs added four runs in their last rotation at the plate.

The Bucs are back in action tomorrow to finish their suspended game against the Falcons of the Air Force Academy.  The game will begin in the fifth inning where it was suspended.  The game is scheduled to resume at 1:30 p.m. at Buccaneer Ballpark.