BOX SCORE

RADFORD, Va. – Powered by three long balls and a five-run fourth, Radford Softball tallied nine unanswered runs to earn a 9-3 Big South series-clinching victory over Coastal Carolina, Saturday afternoon from RU Softball.
 
After the Chanticleers (30-13, 7-4 Big South) raced out to a 3-0 first-inning lead, the Highlanders (21-10, 7-2) scored two in the first, one in the third and took the lead for good with the five-run fourth.
 
After a bases load walk put the Highlanders ahead, 4-3, back-to-back two-run singles by freshmen Micalah Sacre and Julie Harriss ballooned Radford's lead to 8-3.
 
It was the first collegiate hit and RBI for Harriss, who finished 1-for-3 with 2 RBI. Junior Ryndee Ruch  hit her first collegiate home run and was 2-for-3 with two runs and a RBI. Junior Morgan Eye and senior Vicki Madden also went deep for the Highlanders.

Coastal led 3-2 after one inning. The Chanticleers took advantage of an error and wild pitch, sandwiched around an RBI single by Cacia Pierre for a 3-0 lead.
 
The Highlanders got two back in the bottom half of the frame on Madden's two-out, two-run long ball to dead center. Eye evened the contest at 3-apiece in the bottom of the third with a one-out shot over the leftfield fence.

Ruch gave Radford a 9-3 cushion in the fifth with a solo shot over the scoreboard in left.

Junior Jackie Jenkins picked up the complete game win after a tough first inning in which she allowed two hits and two earned runs, hit at batter and recorded a wild pitch. In her final six frames, only three Chanticleers reached base on two hits and a walk. Jenkins (9-3) finished the afternoon, allowing two earned runs on four hits She fanned three and walked one.

Kiana Quolas suffered the defeat for Coastal. She surrendered eight runs, seven earned, on six hits with four walks. Ashley Bagwell came in for the final three frames and gave up a run on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
 
Four different Chanticleers recorded a hit, which included doubles of the bats of Kory Hayden and Brooke Donovan.
 
Radford steps out of conference play on Tuesday, April 10 at 3 p.m. for a road test at No. 10 Tennessee.