RADFORD vs. HARTFORD March 12-13 | RU Baseball Field RU in 2011: 6-6 | Last 10: 4-6 | Streak: L2 All series games: Live Stats | Live Audio Saturday, Game 1 (9 inn), Noon RU RHP Eddie Butler vs. HART RHP Anthony Mannuccia Saturday, Game 2 (7 inn) RU RHP Mark Peterson vs. HART LHP Mike Thatcher Sunday, 1:00 p.m. RU RHP Bobby Bolling vs. HART RHP Kevin Veilleux

Radford plays at home for the first time in the 2011 season, beginning a seven-game homestand on Saturday when the Highlanders open a three-game series against Hartford.

Following their longest road trip of the season, the Highlanders enter the weekend with a .500 record. The trip included a three-game win streak with a sweep of play at the Wake Forest Invitational, and wins over “power” conference teams Auburn and Wake Forest.

Radford will try and bounce back from a midweek series sweep at NC State. The Wolfpack stopped the longest win streak for the Highlanders, at three games, with wins on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The 2011 home season begins for the Highlanders with a first-time opponent in Hartford. The Hawks (0-4-1), out of the America East Conference, are playing just their second weekend of the season. Like Radford, Hartford is playing a substantial stretch of games away from home, a 14-game trip. The Hawks opened their season with four games at Oregon State, then played to a rare tie on Wednesday at Central Connecticut State.

WEEKEND NOTEBOOK
• Despite the recent offensive drought for the Highlanders, Cory Turner continues to lead the Big South Conference in batting average (.487) and on-base percentage (.596), and is second in slugging percentage (.667)
• Turner's fourth inning single on Wednesday against NC State extended his hitting streak to nine games (14-for-30)
• Radford, as a team, is 11 for its last 62 plate appearances entering this weekend
• Matt Hillsinger's home run in the first game of the NC State series was the fifth of his career
• Hillsinger is second in the conference in stolen bases (10) through 12 games – Hillsinger stole 15 bases last year, and came into the season with 21 career swipes
• Radford is the last Big South team to play at home this season
• Radford, Gardner-Webb (3-0) and Coastal Carolina (1-0) are the only Big South teams with a .500 or better record away from home
• Entering the weekend, Radford leads the Big South in doubles (28), stolen bases (30), steal attempts (38), fielding percentage (.971) and base runners caught stealing (9)
• Jeff Kemp remains tied for the conference home runs lead (4) – three of his four homers this season have been hit in the first inning
• Bobby Bolling is the Big South's co-leader in strikeouts with 25
• Bolling and Mark Peterson are looking for more run support this season – the Highlanders have scored four runs for Bolling over three starts (17 2/3 innings) and six runs for Peterson over three starts (19 innings)
• Bolling (3.57) and Peterson (3.32) enter the weekend in the league's top 15 for ERA
• Eddie Butler has received nine runs of support in three starts, but has a 1-0 record this season
• Radford has done the bulk of its scoring against relief pitching this season – opponent bullpens have allowed 46 Highlander runs on 56 hits over 47 innings
• Overall, the Highlanders have scored 71 runs