BOX SCORE HIGH POINT, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Eddie Butler struck out 10 batters in eight innings and Josh Gardiner drove in two runs to lead No. 5 seed Radford past No. 4 Gardner-Webb, 8-2, in Game 1 of the 2012 Big South Baseball Championship presented by Brookwood Farms BBQ and Triangle Rent A Car at Williard Stadium on the campus of High Point University. 

With the victory, Radford improves to 29-26-1 and plays top-seeded Coastal Carolina on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30pm.  The Runnin' Bulldogs fall to 30-27 and will play the loser of CCU-CSU in an elimination game Wednesday morning at 9:30am.

Butler's 10 strikeouts were the most in a Big South Tournament game since 2008 when Liberty's Dustin Umberger fanned 10 batters against Radford.  He allowed eight hits in his eight innings of work with no walks and improves to 7-4.  Gardiner had two hits, as did Carl Travers and Brett Mollenhauer.  

Gardner-Webb starter Andrew Barnett allowed five runs (two earned) in seven innings.  He allowed eight hits and struck out four hitters in falling to 4-4.  Hodge and Jackson had two hits each for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Radford opened the game's scoring in the top of the second.  Matt Hillsinger led off with a double and later moved to third when GWU shortstop Ryan Hodge mishandled Ryan Burgess' grounder for an error.  Travers then delivered a single to center to score Hillsinger, but Barnett then induced a double play to end the threat.

The Highlanders extended their lead to 3-0 in the third inning.  Gardiner reached on an error and Zach Costello followed with a single.  Mollenhauer singled through the infield to load the bases, and Jeff Kemp's fielder's choice groundout scored Gardiner, while Hillsinger brought home Costello with a sacrifice fly.

Radford made it 4-0 in the top of the fourth and 5-0 in the fifth.  In the fourth, Travers singled with one out and eventually scored on Gardiner's single to right.  In the next inning, Hillsinger reached on GWU's third error of the day and came around to score on Matt Mack's double to left-center.

Gardner-Webb threatened in the bottom of the fifth.  Hodge and Benji Jackson smacked singles to put runners on first and second.  But Butler struck out Zeke Blanton to keep GWU off the scoreboard.

GWU, last year's Tournament runner-up, avoided the shutout in the bottom of the seventh when Dusty Quattlebaum delivered Butler's first pitch over the right field fence for a home run.  The homer ended Butler's scoreless inning streak in the Tournament at 13 innings.  The Runnin' Bulldogs made it 5-2 when Jackson doubled home Scott Johnson, who had reached on a two-out infield single.  Radford got the runs back in the bottom half for the eventual winning score of 8-2.