JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Interstat) — A dominant performance by its bullpen and timely power hitting propelled Appalachian State to an 8-5 victory over East Tennessee State on Wednesday afternoon at Thomas Stadium, overcoming a late-inning rally by the Buccaneers.

The Mountaineers, who improved to 7-1, saw five relievers combine for seven hitless and scoreless innings to secure the win after the Buccaneers had clawed back from an early deficit. Jake Beaty, Nick DiRito, Calvert Clark, Max Tramontana and Ethan Wilson held East Tennessee State to just two walks while striking out 11 over the final seven frames.

Appalachian State built its lead with a pair of two-run homers in the early going. Riley Luft opened the scoring in the top of the second inning, following a Steve Smith single and stolen base, with a blast to left-center field. The Mountaineers added two unearned runs in the third, capitalizing on a throwing error by East Tennessee State third baseman Tony Fetterman. Jonathan Xuereb drove in the first with a groundout, and Smith followed with an RBI double.

East Tennessee State (6-2) answered forcefully in the bottom of the third and fourth innings against Appalachian State starter Logan Tibbett and Wilson. In the third, Ian Guanzon sliced a two-run double down the left-field line. An inning later, Fetterman atoned for his earlier error with a two-run double of his own, and Tommy Curless followed with an RBI single to cut the Mountaineers’ lead to 5-4.

The turning point came immediately after, as Tramontana entered with two outs in the fourth and struck out Guanzon to strand a runner. From that moment, the Buccaneers’ offense was silenced.

Appalachian State provided crucial insurance runs late. Designated hitter Nico Soul launched a solo home run to right-center in the fifth to make it 6-4. In the sixth, right fielder Drew DuPont, the game’s top star, hit a solo shot to right field. DuPont, who finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs, added an RBI double in the eighth, scoring Xuereb after his triple. Soul capped the Mountaineers’ scoring with a sacrifice fly in the ninth.

The Buccaneers managed only five hits, all coming in the first four innings. Reid Brosnan took the loss in relief for East Tennessee State, allowing one run on three hits over 2 1/3 innings.

The victory extended Appalachian State’s winning streak to three games following a 9-8 win over Southern Illinois on Sunday. East Tennessee State saw its three-game win streak snapped.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected an 8-7 Appalachian State win, though its ELO rating system gave East Tennessee State a 61% probability of victory.

Appalachian State travels to face Gardner-Webb for a three-game series starting Friday. East Tennessee State will host Quinnipiac for a three-game set beginning the same day.