BOX SCORE

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Radford scored five runs in the fourth and held on for a 6-5 win over Coastal Carolina to force an if necessary game in the second semifinal of the Big South Championships presented by Musco Sports Lighting, Friday afternoon from Terry Field on the campus of Winthrop University.

The Highlanders (37-20) and Chanticleers (25-32) play for a berth into the championship game at 8 p.m.

Radford finally figured out Ashley Bagwell with a five-run fifth. Hannah Ojeda tied the game with a RBI triple off the right field fence and scored the go-ahead run on a safety squeeze by Jessie Hutchens.

After a wild pitch scored pinch runner Maureen Hepner, Taylor Cunningham roped a two-run single to make it a 5-1 game. She finished 2-for-4 with three RBI.

"I was very please that these ladies did not get down on themselves after leaving runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings," said head coach Mickey Dean.
The Chanticleers rallied to make it 5-4 on another solo blast, this time by Jazmin Daigle, and a two-run shot by Stacy Snellings.

Radford added what proved to be the game-winning run on a two-out RBI single by Cunningham in the sixth. She finished 2-for-3 with three RBI.

That run was big as Coastal cut it to 6-5, but Chelsea Kelley came in and battled from a 3-0 count and finally retired Cacia Pierre swinging after several foul balls. Kelley, who started, came back in to earn her second save of the season.

Stephanie Dameron picked up the win in 2.2 innings of scoreless middle relief. She scattered three hits and did not walk a batter.

Chelsea Pineda's two-out solo shot of the centerfield fence gave Coastal Carolina an early 1-0 lead in the first. She finished the contest 2-for-4.

Radford had chances to even the score early in the first three innings as it stranded a runner at third all three frames, which included first and third no outs in the first and then on third and one out in third.

Two big double plays, No. 34 and 35 of the year got Radford out of jams in two of the frames, including one in the sixth that proved to be crucial as a Snellings two-run home run could have been a game-tying three-run shot.

"Those two double plays we turned were huge, getting us out of trouble in both frames," stated Dean.