Illinois Box

Ilinois State Box

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Radford dropped a pair of contests to Illinois and Illinois State on day two of the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

In the first contest, Illinois (12-1) scored 10 runs in the first two innings and cruised to a 10-0 victory in five innings. Game two saw Jhavon Hamilton hit a two-run walk off double, giving the Redbirds (8-3) a 7-6 comeback victory over the Highlanders (1-3).

Illinois State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a two-run double by Michelle Henderson.

The Highlanders finally found an offensive groove sending nine batters to the plate in a five-run third.

Following a leadoff walk to Kristen Shifflett (Charlottesville, Va./Monticello), Nichole Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) launched her first home run of the game to dead center, cutting the Redbirds' lead to 3-2.

With one out, Taylor Cunningham (Fairfax, Va./Robinson Secondary) roped a pinch-hit game-tying double to leftcenter.

The Highlanders took advantage of a two-out throwing error to take the lead. On the miscue by the pitcher, Cunningham scooted home with the go-ahead run.

Ryndee Ruch (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) followed with a RBI double to rightcenter to close out the scoring. It was the freshman's first collegiate hit in her first college start.

With one out in the sixth, Beall clubbed a solo blast deep over the leftfield fence for a 6-3 Highlander advantage.

Illinois State chipped away with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, cutting Radford's lead to 6-5.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Hamilton laced a double to the gap in leftcenter, plating a pair of runs for the victory.

The Highlanders recorded a season-high 10 hits led by Beall's 2-for-4 performance. She recorded three RBI and scored a pair of runs.

In game one, the 10-run outburst was keyed by an Illini eight spot in the second which included two of their three home runs.

Radford loaded the bases in the first two innings and was unable to score. In the fourth, back-to-back singles with one-out put runners on first and second, but a pair of groundouts ended that threat. The Highlanders left 10 runners on base for the contest.

Junior Lauren Williams (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) recorded two of Radford's four hits with a pair of singles. Williams finished with three hits on the day.

The Highlanders close out play tomorrow, Feb. 28 with No. 4 Missouri at 10 a.m.