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STATESBORO, Ga. – Radford scored all five of its runs with two outs, right-hander Keith Fritz (Baltimore, Md., Archbishop Curley)went seven strong innings, and the Highlanders snapped a four-game slide with a 5-4 win over 30th-ranked Georgia Southern in the series finale on Sunday.
 
After a rocky first start last Sunday where he lasted just 2 2/3 innings, Fritz (1-1) shined for the Highlanders (2-5).  The transfer righty struck out three and allowed two runs on five hits, and also stranded runners in scoring position in the fifth and seventh innings.
 
Ryan Burgess (Richmond, Va., Steward School) went 3-for-4 and drove in a critical run in the eighth inning when his two-out hit scored Matt Hillsinger (Bowie, Md., Archbishop Spalding) to give the Highlanders a 5-2 lead.  Hillsinger scored twice, walked twice and stole a pair of bases, including one in the eighth to move into scoring position for Burgess.
 
"We got a good start today from Fritz and got some big hits at big times," head coach Joe Raccuia said.  "Burgess came through for us in a big spot, and [Josh] Gardiner did the same for us early in the game.   And minus an error that led to a run, we played pretty solid defense."

Freshman lefty Jeff Maxwell (Lynchburg, Va., Brookville), who started against Liberty on Wednesday, worked the ninth to earn his first career save.  The Eagles (5-2) threatened with a pair of two-out base runners, but Maxwell got Nick Rau to ground out to end the game.

"Our bullpen was really taxed from yesterday," Raccuia said.  "So we weren't able to use the guys we normally would in important situations.  But Maxwell did a good job in the ninth.

"All in all, not a bad weekend.  I would have liked a better result on Saturday, but we played OK this weekend."

The Highlanders struck first in the game and used a big fourth inning to extend the lead.  Radford converted a leadoff base runner into a run to start the game – Zach Costello (South Riding, Va., Paul VI) walked and was knocked in on a Hillsinger two-out single to make it a 1-0 lead.
 
In the fourth, a bases-loaded walk to Blake Sipe (Weyers Cave, Va., Fort Defiance) with two outs made it a two-run advantage for Radford, then Josh Gardiner (Culpeper, Va., Eastern View) brought home two more on his single to center, extending the lead to 4-1.
 
Georgia Southern got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Chase Griffin's groundout knocked in Eric Phillips.  The Eagles added another in the seventh when a throwing error following Zac Lenns' single allowed Stryker Brown to score, cutting the Radford lead to 4-2.
 
The Eagles closed the gap to one with a pair of runs in the eighth when T.D. Davis launched a two-run homer with one out to make it 5-4.  After Griffin walked on the next play, Jason Patten (Davidsonville, Md., Archbishop Spalding) came on for Radford and got the final two outs of the eighth, eventually working out of a bases-loaded jam.
 
Davis went 3-for-4 to lead Georgia Southern.   Starter Kyle Rowe, who allowed four Radford runs in 3 1/3 innings, took the loss (1-1).
 
Radford continues its 12-game road trip on Wednesday at North Carolina A&T at 3 p.m.