Game One Box

Game Two Box

RADFORD, Va. – Chelsea Kelley's (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) one-hit shutout in game one and Nichole Beall's (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) game two walk off home run helped Radford to a doubleheader sweep over Presbyterian, Saturday afternoon from RU Softball Field.

Trailing 10-9 entering the bottom of the seventh, Kristen Shifflett singled with one out and Beall followed with a moonshot to left, her 12th of the season, sending the Highlanders (24-10, 10-1 Big South) to the 11-10 victory.

Beall finished 2-for-2 with two RBI and three runs scored. She reached base in all five at bats as she also drew three walks. Shifflett had a pair of hits, hitting her eighth home run of the season, knocking in two and tallying two runs.

Jackie Jenkins improved to 2-0 with two-thirds of an inning of relief.

"This wasn't our best day defensively," said head coach Mickey Dean. "The team really battled from the fifth inning on in each game."

Shifflett put Radford on the board with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first. The Highlanders added two more to make it 3-0 in the second on a RBI double off the leftfield fence by Taylor Cunningham and a fielder's choice grounder by Shifflett.

The Blue Hose (13-15, 1-10) put a four-spot on the board. Three singles and a throwing error put the Blue Hose on the board. They added a second run on a RBI ground out by Morgan Durham and took the lead on a two-run long ball by Taylor Staten.

Radford tied it in the third on a bases loaded groundout by Cunningham and took the lead (5-4) on a RBI double off the top of the fence by Himan.

The Blue Hose retook the lead in the sixth (6-5), courtesy of three errors and a wild pitch. They tied the contest on the wild pitch and Katie Anderson scored the go ahead run with two outs when a throw to second was misplayed.

The Highlanders tallied four in the sixth to take a 9-6 lead. They tied it on back-to-back RBI doubles by Sarah Himan and Shannon Keefe and went ahead on a throwing error.

However, PC answered Radford's four-run inning with its second of the game, highlighted by home runs by Krysten Handy (solo) and Staton (two-run). After Staten tied the game and Lindsey Trombley singled, Katie Anderson roped a dboule to pur the Blue Hose back on top, 10-9.

Himan, Keefe and Hope Creasy all had two hits for the Highlanders.

Anderson was 3-for-4 with a pair of two-baggers for PC, while Staten knocked in four runs and scored three as well. Handy also generated two hits and two runs for the Blue Hose.

Brittany Howell suffered the defeat as she entered the seventh in a save situation.

Kelley tossed a one-hit gem in game one as the Highlanders defeated Presbyterian 3-0. Himan provided the only offense with a three-run home run in the sixth.

Kelley was near perfect, allowing just an infield single by Rachel Hopper with two outs in the third. It was her second one-hit shutout of the season as she struck out six and did not walk a batter.

Radford's bats were stymied by Brittany Howell until the sixth. With one out, Lauren Williams broke up Howell's not-hit bid with single over the third baseman's head. Until that hit, Radford had just two base runners on a walk and an error.

Following Williams' single, Shifflett reached on a dropped flyball by the rightfielder. With two outs, Himan ripped a 3-2 pitch to dead center for a 3-0 Highlander lead.

"I was proud of the way we battled," commented Dean. "We just need to put a complete game together."

Howell was the tough luck loser as she did not allow an earned run on three hits. She struck out six and walked one.

The teams will wrap up the series, tomorrow at 1 p.m.