BOX SCORE

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Radford rallied for the second straight game by scoring three ninth-inning runs, and Jason Patten worked out of a bases-loaded situation in the bottom half to keep Wake Forest off the board and lead the Highlanders to a 5-4 win on Sunday night.

After trailing 4-2 heading into the ninth, Radford (6-4) loaded the bases with one out, scratching across a run on a walk to Matt Mack, then Alex Guerra's groundout on a potential game-ending double-play ball brought home Zach Costello to tie it at 4-4. A wild pitch to Cory Turner with two outs scored Jeff Kemp from third with the go-ahead run to give Radford its first lead.

In the bottom half, back-to-back hits and an intentional walk to set up a force out anywhere loaded the bases before Patten struck out the next two hitters and induced a fly ball out off of the bat of Ryan Lloyd to end the game and wrap up the third consecutive win for Radford.

“We're starting to see Jason Patten get back to being Jason Patten, and I'm really proud of that,” head coach Joe Raccuia said. “That really excites us – getting back to where he was and even these last two outings he's better than he's ever been.”

Wake Forest (4-7) left-handed starter Tim Cooney struck out a career-high 14 batters in six innings, keeping the Highlanders off the board. Demon Deacon pitching fanned 17 Radford hitters.

Wake Forest scored a run in the third, and got three in the fourth, highlighting the fourth inning with Carlos Lopez's two-run homer that snuck over the left field fence, making it a 3-0 Demon Deacon lead.

The Highlanders came back with two sixth-inning runs, thanks to a pair of defensive miscues in the outfield by Wake Forest. A dropped fly ball off the bat of Turner put him at second – he advanced to third on Jake Taylor's double to left. Daniel Wright's fly ball to right with two outs was muffed and both runners scored to make it a 4-2 game.

Bobby Bolling went seven innings in his start for Radford, posting eight strikeouts and keeping the game close. Patten tossed a scoreless eighth in addition to the ninth for his second win (2-0).

“It's two games in a row that we have faced a really good starting pitcher,” Raccuia said. “If we didn't have a guy matching him pitch for pitch like Bobby, matching him the whole way through, then we have no shot in this game.

“We did enough to win this baseball game – pitched enough, defended enough.”

Chris Willson, who came on for the Wake Forest ninth, was charged with all three runs in the loss (0-1).

Radford continues the last leg of its 12-game road trip at NC State on Tuesday at 3 p.m.