HIGHLANDERS FALTER IN DECIDING GAME AT CHARLESTON

BOX SCORE MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. - A poor start to the deciding game of the series with College of Charleston on Sunday led to an 8-2 loss for Radford at Patriots Point. The Highlanders committed three fielding errors in the first inning that yielded two unearned runs for the Cougars and set the tone for the rest of the game.

After the Highlanders went quietly in the first with two strikeouts, Blake Butler opened the bottom of the first with a two-hop ground ball to Josh Gardiner that the normally sure-handed secondbaseman for RU misplayed. A botched pickoff attempt and a misplayed single to left field by Zach Woolcock accounted for three errors that plated two unearned runs against starter Keith Fritz.

"I thought Fritz deserved better than the one-sided score looked in the end," Radford head coach Joe Raccuia said. "We were prepared to play and didn't defend the field from the beginning. We also had a lot of poor at bats in the first part of the game."

The Highlanders struck out seven times in the first four innings and eight overall in the game.

Charleston added three runs in the bottom of the second on four hits to lead 5-0 early.

Radford scored an unearned run off of starter Matt Pegler (2-2) in the fifth. Blake Sipe reached on an error, and Gardiner drove him in with a single.

Fritz (2-3) settled in on the mound and retired 12 straight batters through the middle innings. With two outs in the sixth, however, he ended that streak with a walk to Alex Pastorius. Morgan Phillips singled to follow, and Ryan Welke put the game out of reach with a three-run home run to give the Cougars an 8-1 lead.

Oliver Powers relieved Fritz, who went 6.0 innings and gave up eight runs, six earned. Powers gave up a pair of hits in his 2.0 innings of scoreless relief.

Woolcock provided the final scoring in the eighth belting his second home run of the season, a solo shot to make the score 8-2.

Radford is in action at home Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. when the Highlanders host Virginia Tech at RU Stadium.

Print Friendly Version