Bucs Split Double Header to Close Home Play

CHARLESTON, SC- The Buccaneers (16-33) welcomed the Savannah State Tigers (25-26) to Buccaneers Ballpark for their last home series of the season, splitting the doubleheader but taking the three game season series 2-1. 

 Buc opener, Brandon Roberts would pitch the entirety of the seven innings for game one, facing 25 batters, allowing only three hits and striking out 12 Tigers.  Robert’s 12 strikeouts ties the season high for strikeouts with fellow pitcher Jesse Cadenhead who also threw 12 strikeouts in his complete nine inning game against VMI on March 29.  Robert’s 12 come in two less innings than Cadenhead’s, throwing 72 strikes on 103 pitches, and facing no more than four batters in a single inning.  Thornburg would tally the loss for the Bucs in game two after taking the mound from right field, but not before striking out six in three innings of work.

 The Tigers would start the first game in a big way with lead-off batter Tristan Smith hitting a homer over the left field fence on the first pitch of the game.  The Bucs would rally however, capitalizing on seven Tiger errors while holding the Tigers to their sole run and score five of their own for the victory.

 The Bucs were lead from the plate by senior Kory Morian who went two-for-three in the first game with one RBI.  Morian was the only Bucs to tally multiple hits in the first game while Patrick Dolan and Mark Perry combined for four hits in game two.  Scotty Radabaugh and Tyler Thornburg combined for four of five RBIs in game two, while Thornburg dropped his 12^th homer of the season as well.

 The Tigers would start things off early with a homer over the left field wall, but the Bucs would not allow the lead to last long as they added three of their own in the bottom of the inning and never looked back.  The Bucs capitalized on four errors by the Tiger infield to cross Tom Burkett, Patrick Dolan, and Tyler Thornburg to put the Bucs on the board. 

 The Bucs would hold the 3-1 advantage until the fifth inning as the Bucs would again capitalize on a Tiger throwing error by the center fielder allowing Burkett to cross for his second contribution of the game.  Pinch runner Bentley Christmas would replace designated hitter Derek Smith after a double, reach third on a failed pickoff attempt error from the mound and score on a sacrifice fly from senior catcher Jake Cox to close out CSU’s five runs. 

 Game One Box Score

 Game two would be slower to start as the Bucs would be first on the board in the bottom of the third after the second inning halves ended in identical fashion with runners on the corners with one out and a double play to end the halves.  Thornburg would hit his twelfth home run of the season in the third to drive home Radabaugh from third  for the after Perry crossed on a sacrifice fly from Dolan, to give the Bucs a 3-0 advantage. The lead would not last long however, as the Tigers added three of their own in top of the fourth to tie the game.

 A diving attempt missed in center field against Scotty Radabaugh would allow Radabaugh a 2RBI double to score two in the fourth putting the Bucs back up by two, 5-3.  A pitching change for the Bucs’ would bring Thornburg from right field to the mound in the fifth inning. The Tigers would inch back within one in the inning on a bases loaded, no outs wild pitch that allowed the sole run to cross.   Thornburg, however, would rally from the mound to strike out the next three to get out of the inning with minimal damage, and carry his momentum into the sixth as he struck out two in the top of the inning for five in a row before a ground out forced the Tigers to the dugout.

 The Tigers would take the lead back for the first time since the first inning of the double header in the seventh inning on a two out, 2RBI single from Dexter Kelley that drove home runners from second and third for the Tigers’ 6-5 advantage.  Dolan would do his part for the Bucs with one out to put himself in scoring position after a triple that bounced back into the field off the top of the right field fence, but would be left stranded as the Tigers were able to end the game with the 6-5 victory. 

 Game Two Box Score

 The Bucs will head to Coastal Carolina for their last conference series before heading to the Big South Tournament at Asheville.  The Bucs first of the three game series at Coastal is slated for 6 p.m. on Thursday May 14.