BOX SCORE
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Radford concluded its trek to the Big South title game with an 11-3 five-inning victory over Coastal Carolina in the final semifinal game of the 2011 Big South Championships presented by Musco Lighting, Friday evening from Terry Field on the campus of Winthrop University.
Taylor Cunningham sparked Radford to an early 7-0 lead with a home run and four RBI as the Highlanders (38-20) advanced to their third straight Championship contest, tomorrow May 14 at noon against No. 2 Liberty, who also won three games on Friday to advance.
The game will be on ESPN3.com.
Cunningham was 2-for-4 with and was joined by
Shannon Keefe, who also had two hits.
Radford scored single runs in the first and second innings, before putting a five-spot as it sent 10 runners to the plate in the third.
The first five batters of the inning recorded hits, highlighted by a three-run long ball by Cunningham, who also knocked in the first run of the game. A bases loaded hit batter and a wild pitch added two more.
The Chanticleers (25-33) got to
Chelsea Kelley, who was superb before a 30-minute lightning delay, for three runs in the fourth to make it a four-run game (7-3). Jazmin Daigle knocked in a run with a single and then Coastal added two more on a fielder's choice grounder. The third run scored on a throwing error on the attempted double play.
The Highlanders got out of the frame with their 36th double play of the season.
Stephanie Dameron came in and induced the twin-killing and did not allow a run in two innings. Kelley (6-7) picked up the win in three-plus innings of work, allowing two earned run on three hits.
After a second lightning delay of 38 minutes, Radford found its groove and put the game away with four more runs in the fifth.
Hannah Ojeda,
Jessie Hutchens and Keefe all registered run scoring singles, the last by Keefe ended the contest.
With four more steals in this game and 15 so far in the four tournament games, Radford set a new school record of 130, breaking the old mark of 128 set in 2007.
