CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel broke open a pitcher's duel with five runs in the seventh in an 8-2 victory over East Tennessee State in opening game of the Southern Conference Tournament presented by Mountain Shore Properties on Tuesday at Riley Park.
The Bulldogs (26-28) advance to play SoCon regular season champion Mercer (31-21) on Wednesday at 5 p.m., while the Buccaneers finished 21-35. The Citadel has won eight of its last 11, with four of those wins coming against ETSU, and the Bulldogs are 11-0 against the Bucs in tournament play.
The Citadel also earned its 20th win of the year at Riley Park, marking the 16th time the Bulldogs have reached that mark in 18 full seasons at the facility.
James Reeves, the newly anointed SoCon Pitcher of the Year, allowed seven hits and two runs (one earned) with eight strikeouts in seven innings to improve to 8-3 on the year. The redshirt junior southpaw turned in his 11th quality start in 14 outings and moved into 10th place on The Citadel season strikeout list with 111.
In two starts against ETSU this season, Reeves pitched 14 innings and allowed only 12 hits and one earned run with 20 strikeouts.
The Bulldogs were clinging to a 3-2 lead in the seventh when
Ryan Kilgallen walked with one out against ETSU starter Jimmy Nesselt to begin the game-deciding rally. Lee Haeberle relieved Nesselt but did not retire any of the three batters he faced, allowing two singles and a bases loaded walk to
Austin Mapes to force in the first run of the inning.
Griffin Krieg, ETSU's regular Friday starter, was unable to stem the tide.
Johnathan Stokes greeted him with an RBI single,
Stephen Windham drove in two runs with a base hit and
Drew Ellis capped the uprising with a double to right.
Stokes' hit was the 200th of the senior shortstop's career. Mapes saw his 13-game hitting streak, the longest by a Bulldog this season, come to an end when he went 0 for 4.
Reeves and Nesselt were locked up in a scoreless tie heading into the bottom of the fourth, with the Bucs twice leaving runners at second, before The Citadel benefited from an unusual play in the outfield to score three times. Stokes walked and Windham singled to put runners on first and second with two outs and
Steven Hansen coming to the dish.
Hansen lofted a fly ball to shallow left center where ETSU center fielder Jeremy Taylor appeared to make a running catch to end the inning. But Taylor collided with left fielder Jordan Sanford, dislodging the ball and allowing two runs to score on a double. Kilgallen followed with an RBI single to make it a three-run frame.
The Bucs got the first two on against Reeves in the fifth but two strikeouts and a lineout to center ended that threat. Kevin Phillips singled in a run in the sixth, and pinch hitter Robby McCabe drove in another run in the seventh to pull ETSU within 3-2 before Reeves ended his day by stranding runners at second and third.
Skylar Hunter went the final two innings for The Citadel, allowing one hit and striking out two. Nesselt (5-7) gave up five hits and was charged with four runs in 6 1/3 innings in the final start of the senior's career.
The Citadel dropped two of three in its regular season series against Mercer at Riley Park with the win coming in a 4-0 no-hitter by Reeves on April 2. The Bears bounced back to claim 4-3 and 17-0 victories the next two days.
