The East Tennessee State University (ETSU) baseball team lost to No. 19 Tennessee on Tuesday afternoon, with a final score of 7-1. The defeat brings the Buccaneers’ season record to 9-3.
ETSU managed six hits during the game. One Knoxville native led the Bucs offensively, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Another player reached base twice with a single and a walk, while Melendez drove in ETSU’s only run with a sacrifice fly in the first inning.
Eight pitchers took the mound for ETSU throughout the contest. Two relievers each threw 1.2 scoreless innings, while three others combined for additional scoreless appearances.
The game began positively for ETSU as their first three batters reached base against Tennessee starter Blaine Brown, who struggled with control early by throwing ten of his twelve pitches outside the strike zone. With bases loaded and no outs, Tennessee brought in former Buc Frederick from the bullpen. “Like he did multiple times in an ETSU uniform in 2025, Frederick got Tennessee out of the jam with just one run allowed, which came on a sacrifice fly by Melendez.”
Tennessee responded quickly in their half of the first inning, recording four hits and taking advantage of walks and extra-base hits to take a 4-1 lead after one frame.
The Volunteers added another run in the fourth inning before Henry Ford hit a two-run home run in the sixth to extend their lead to 7-1. Although ETSU put runners on base in both the seventh and eighth innings, Tennessee’s bullpen prevented any further scoring threats.
ETSU will continue its road trip this weekend with a three-game series at James Madison University starting Friday at 4 p.m., which will be broadcast on ESPN+. Additional information about Buccaneer baseball can be found at ETSUBucs.com under the baseball section.
