ROCK HILL, S.C. – Radford rebounded from an 8-5 game one loss and took the second game 9-4 to win a three game Big South baseball series at Winthrop on Sunday afternoon.

The Highlanders (20-19, 8-7 Big South) blasted four homers in the second game to win two out of three games in the series from Winthrop (19-20, 7-8).

“To go on the road to Winthrop, a perennial power in the league, and win two of three is great,” head coach Joe Raccuia said.  “We've won the last two weekends on the road, and we've got another difficult one coming up at VMI.  I think our kids are up for the challenge.”

GAME 1: WINTHROP 8, RADFORD 5

Winthrop got a 3-for-4 effort from Chas Crane, including an eighth-inning homer, along with seven innings from right-handed starter Matteo D'Angelo on the way to the win.

All nine players in the Winthrop lineup had hits, including six multi-hit efforts on the way to 16.  Crane and Patrick Gamblin drove in two runs each.  

“Winthrop came out aggressive with the bats in the first game,” Raccuia said.  “They put balls in play that got through holes, even though [starter] Eddie Butler wasn't bad for us.   He went six innings, we kept making runs at it, adding a run or two here and there.”

“I wasn't disappointed with the way we played, especially with their [Winthrop's] backs against the wall.”

D'Angelo picked up his fifth win of the season (5-3), striking out nine and walking just one over his seven innings.

Reggie Keen hit a leadoff homer for the Highlanders in the fourth inning, his third of the season.  But the Eagles got three runs in the bottom of the first on three straight one-out RBI singles to grab a 3-0 advantage.

GAME 2: RADFORD 9, WINTHROP 4

Matt Mack hit two game two homers, and Raphael Turner and Andrew Cook added blasts to lift the Highlanders to the victory and the series win.

Mack whacked a solo blast with two outs in a four-run first for Radford, and another to lead off the third, his fifth and sixth of the season, to give the Highlanders a 5-2 lead through three innings.  Mack was 3-for-5 in the game.

Turner's shot, his fifth, scored two in the four-run first, while Cook had a solo homer, his third, to lead off the sixth.

“That second game was a great effort from everyone,” Raccuia said.  “Matt Mack was big, we had key RBIs, we stole bases, and got a good effort from Bobby Bolling on the mound.  Plus, we handed it to the back end of the bullpen, and those guys took care of things as usual.”

Bolling went 5 2/3 innings on the way to his second win of the season (2-1), striking out six.  The Highlanders got 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief from Brad Wimmer, Abram Williams and Jason Patten to close out the series.

Matt Pierpont went 2-for-4 with a fourth-inning leadoff homer for Winthrop.

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Radford is now a game ahead of both Winthrop and Gardner-Webb for fourth place in the league standings.  The Highlanders will play a Tuesday home game against East Tennessee State (3 p.m.) before heading to VMI for a three-game set on beginning Friday.