THREE-RUN 5TH PUSHES SOFTBALL PAST JSU, 3-2; FALLS TO ALBANY

BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2
ALBANY BOX | JSU BOX

STATESBORO, Ga. – Micalah Sacre knocked in the go-ahead run in a three-run fifth and put in a strong relief appearance as Radford defeated Jacksonville State, 3-2, on the final day of the Eagle Classic hosted by Georgia Southern. The Highlanders (2-3) dropped their morning contest, 9-2, to Albany.

Trailing 1-0 and being held to just one hit over the first four innings, Radford used a little two-out magic to take the lead in the fifth. Freshman Jackie Warr kept the inning alive as she dropped a single into right center and senior Nichole Beall sent the next pitch to the gap in right center for a game-tying triple.

Following a pitching change, Sacre doubled down the leftfield line and moved to third on an error. After a four-pitch walk, Sacre stole home on a first and third play and scored the eventual game-winning run.

The Highlanders had to hold off a Gamecock rally in the seventh. A one out double, followed by a single and a wild pitch made it a 3-2 ball game. With a 3-2 count on Shelby Holly and the game-tying run on second, Jackie Jenkins reentered and retired Holly on one pitch. A 1-0 pitch got away from Michelle Beall, but she recovered in time to gun out the pinch runner trying to take third and ended the game.

Sacre (1-1) picked up her first collegiate win in 4.1 innings of relief work. She scattered four hits, allowed a run and struck out five. Jenkins earned the save in 2.2 frames as she allowed an unearned run on four hits with one strikeout.

Warr finished with a pair of singles, her first two collegiate hits.

JSU posted an unearned run in the first when the third out of the inning was dropped at first, which allowed the runner from third to cross the plate. They scored again in the seventh when the Gamecocks threatened to tie the game up with their rally.

Behind a seven-run third, Albany defeated Radford, 9-2, in the Highlanders' first game on day two.

Nichole Beall had two of Radford's three hits. Freshman Frankie Martinez registered her first collegiate hit and sophomore Maureen Hepner knocked in her first collegiate run.

Kylie Apostolina gave Albany an early 1-0 advantage with a leadoff home run to right center in the second.

The Great Danes sent 11 batters to the plate in the seven-run third. The inning was highlighted by a two-run triple by Taylor Franich and a two-run double by Lauren Alcorn.

The Highlanders tallied their first hit and run in the fourth as Beall singled, stole second and scored from there on a Sacre sac fly to deep right. They added a run in the seventh on Hepner's sac fly.

Emily Norton started for the Highlanders and lasted 2.1 innings before reentering in the fifth to total 5.1 frames of work. She surrendered five runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Stephanie Dameron tossed 1.2 innings of relief and allowed four runs on four hits with two walks.

Charlise Castro was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI for the Great Danes.

The Highlanders remain on the road with a doubleheader at in-state rival James Madison on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 3 p.m.

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