BOX SCORE BOX SCORE
RADFORD, Va. –
Cory Turner's eighth-inning RBI double to the right field corner gave Radford the go-ahead run and capped his three-hit day in a 6-5 series finale win for the Highlanders over Marist on Sunday.
With the game tied at 4-4 in the eighth,
Phil Bondi's leadoff single turned into a run, as Turner doubled him home to give the Highlanders (10-10) their first lead of the day, 5-4.
Josh Gardiner's ground out to the right side brought Turner in from third made it 6-4 and proved to be the winning run.
Marist got a run in the ninth on Mark Brennan's two-out RBI single, but
Abram Williams closed out the win and earned his third save.
Turner was 3-for-3 with a walk and scored twice.
Zach Costello had two hits and scored twice, and
Jeff Kemp knocked in a pair of runs for Radford. The Highlanders had 14 hits – all 10 hitters registered at least one.
Jason Patten entered the game in the sixth and posted 2 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts to pick up his first win (1-2).
“We didn't play great, we just played hard on every pitch,” head coach
Joe Raccuia said. “That term is used loosely a lot, but we played with a lot of energy, never gave in, and got a good result.
“When you're scuffling, wins don't come easy – sometimes they look ugly. There's nothing that beats energy and passion, and we had that today.”
Pat Welsh went 3-for-3 for Marist (4-9) and hit a three-run homer in the second, his first of the season, to give the Red Foxes an early 3-0 lead. Jake Berry added three hits and a walk in the leadoff spot.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Highlanders got on the board for the first time, using hits by Turner and
Carl Travers to start a three-run rally and tie the game at 3-3.
The Red Foxes went back ahead 4-3 in the top of the sixth when Ben Luderer, who singled with one out, came home from third on a wild pitch.
Radford tied the game again in the seventh on Kemp's sacrifice fly, scoring Costello following his leadoff hit.
Marist starter Brett Houseal threw 7-plus innings, allowing five earned runs on 14 hits to take the loss (0-3).
Radford heads to James Madison for a 6:30 p.m. game on Tuesday.