GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG baseball drops a pair on Saturday as ETSU comes back to grab a series win in a doubleheader in Greensboro. The Spartans were unable to come back from an early deficit in a 4-1 game one loss, dropping game two by a score of 6-3 to hand the visiting Bucs the sweep.

Starting Spartan right hander Jacob Curry turned in a quality performance in game one, but a lack of run support handed the redshirt junior his first losing decision of the season. Curry faced just two over the minimum in the first three frames, with the Bucs' two doubles standing as the team's only base runners. A sac fly in the fourth gave the visitors the first run of the night, with the UNCG starter holding the Bucs to three hits and two walks through his first five frames.

The Bucs would break open the scoring in the sixth however, loading the bases on a costly two out error, that allowed ETSU to go on to plate three unearned runs after the defensive mistake. 

Lefty Price King took over for Curry at the start of the seventh ,offering a performance that allowed the Spartans' an attempt at a late comeback. King allowed a single hit over the final three innings of game one, shutting out the Bucs during his time on the bump.

The Spartans got their offense going in the ninth, with Josh Madole leading off the frame with a walk. The first baseman would come home on a one out double from Hogan Windish, who advanced to third on the Bucs' throw to home. 

UNCG's offense would end there however, with the ETSU pitching staff securing the final two outs of game one, which finished at a 4-1 scoreline. Curry took the loss despite his effort, striking out three with a single earned run against over 6.0 innings. Third baseman Zack Budzik delivered a pair of doubles on the offensive side, but accounted for half of his team's hits in the contest.

Hits were even in game two at seven apiece, but a quartet of errors from the Spartan defense sealed another win for the visitors. 

This time it was the Spartans who jumped ahead, hanging three runs in the first inning. Corey Rosier delivered his fourth hit of the series in the first at bat of the game, slotting a single through the right side of the infield, before walks from Madole and Windish loaded the bases. 

Rosier would get thrown out at home on a fielder's choice during a Pres Cavenaugh at but, but an attempted double play throw to first flew into the outfield, allowing a pair of runs to come across for the Spartans. Budzik drove in Cavenaugh from third with his third knock of the doubleheader and the Spartans went ahead 3-0 before the start of the second. 

The Bucs responded in that following frame however, tying things at three apiece with two walks and a pair of hits. The visitors added the go ahead during the fourth with their fifth hit of the game going down as an RBI double, leading 4-3 all the way into the sixth. It was in that inning that ETSU expanded their lead, as three Spartan defensive errors allowed two unearned runs to come across, bringing the score to 6-3 in favor of the Bucs.

The Spartans got the bats going in the seventh with a pair of singles from Grant Jarman and Josh Madole, putting the tying run in the batter's box, but both were left stranded as the final ended in favor of the visitors for a second time on Saturday.

Righty reliever Austin Parsley received the losing decision, despite two of his four runs allowed going down as unearned in game two. Brandon Stephens and Kross Robinson combined for 3.2 shutout innings relief on the backend of game two, allowing just a single hit between them.

>>> Hogan Windish went 2-for-5 (.400) between his two games on Saturday, delivering an RBI and a double. He also had two walks and a hit by pitch over the course of the day, adding to the two bases on balls and the two HBPs he had on Friday. The second baseman delivered an OBP of .692 against the Bucs over the entire weekend
>>> Budzik went 3-for-7 (.429) on Saturday, hitting in all three of his appearances against ETSU and driving in three runs over the course of the weekend
>>> The Spartan pitching staff struck out 10 batters in Saturday's finale, led by Parsley's five. That's their fifth double-digit K performance of 2021

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