AGGIES TOP HIGHLANDERS, END STREAK AT THREE GAMES

BOX SCORE RADFORD, Va. - Radford had its three-game winning streak snapped Wednesday by North Carolina A&T, 11-6, at RU Baseball Stadium. The Aggies stormed through a 1:20 rain delay to take an 8-0 lead and then held on for the road victory.

Kelvin Freeman's three-run home run in the top of the first off of Radford starter Mitchell MacKeith set the tone for the night. After Luke Tendler singled to open the game, and Jeovanny Tolentino walked, Freeman hit a towering home run, his 13th of the season and first of two on the evening, to left field.

The Aggies added three more runs in the third. Bo McMillian's two-run single combined with an RBI single from starting pitcher Cameron Jergens gave the visitors a 6-0 lead. The score remained that way into the top of the fifth when the weather forced a delay in the game.

Jergens lost out on a pitching victory because of the rain delay as he was unable to continue on the mound in the fifth inning, but that was the only bad news this night for A&T.

Freeman came back from the delay and hit his second deep fly to left field of the night to give NCAT a 7-0 lead. Jergens knocked in another run in the fifth as he remained in the lineup as the designated hitter offensively. The Aggies built an 8-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth.

Phil Bondi led off the bottom of the fifth for the Highlanders with a solo home run to right field, his first of the season. He added another RBI base hit in the eighth for his first multi-hit game of the season.

The Highlanders rallied for four runs in the sixth and cut the lead to 8-5. Blake Sipe and Ryan Burgess each provided RBI singles in the inning.

Jergens, however, had the final say in how this game would be decided. His three-run home run in the seventh gave North Carolina A&T an 11-5 lead before Bondi's final tally in the eighth.

MacKeith took the loss for the Highlanders and fell to 1-3 on the season. Justin Godette came in to pitch after the rain delay for the Aggies and got the victory.

Josh Gardiner (3-4) led the Highlander offense with a three hit night. Zach Woolcock (2-2), Burgess (2-4), and Bondi (2-3) each had multi-hit games as well.

The loss drops the Highlanders to 23-17 on the season. Radford travels to College of Charleston on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader in the first two games of a nonconfernce road series. The finale will be Sunday at noon.

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