BOONE, N.C. – App State Baseball trimmed a six-run deficit to two in the middle innings and retired 11 consecutive batters at one point in the contest but fell to ETSU 13-6 on Tuesday at Smith Stadium.
After falling behind 6-0 early, App State (21-19) battled back in the contest.
Juan Correa uncorked a three-run home run in the third inning – a 420-foot blast to center field – to get the Mountaineers on the scoreboard. The longball was Correa's team-leading 12th of the season, scoring
Braxton Church, who reached on a walk, and
Joseph Zamora, who reached on a single. It snapped a 10-game homerless drought for the Mountaineers' slugger.
Correa's home run seemed to spark the Mountaineers on the mound too. App State pitching combined to not allow a baserunner from the middle of the third through the middle of the sixth innings.
Ryen Watson led the charge on the hill retiring all five batters he faced, including three strikeouts.
Liam Best and
Luke Oblen also registered scoreless outings in the ballgame.
After scoring three runs before the first out was recorded in the top of the first inning, ETSU (28-11) bookended the ballgame by adding on critical insurance runs late. The Bucs plated two runs in the seventh and four runs in the ninth to turn a 6-4 lead into a 13-6 final.
Cooper Torres highlighted the Bucs offensive effort, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs and finished a home run shy of the cycle. The Bucs registered 13 hits and nine walks in the ballgame, while their pitching staff tallied 14 strikeouts.
Braxton Church delivered the final blow for the Mountaineers' offense, hitting a solo home run in the eighth inning, his second blast in as many games.
Church finished 3-for-3, reaching base all five times in the ballgame, while Correa and
Riley Luft each added two-hit efforts.
App State will return to Sun Belt action with a three-game series against No. 22 Southern Miss, Friday through Sunday. The 2025 App State baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
