SERIES OPENER GOES TO RADFORD IN EXTRA INNINGS

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CHARLESTON, S.C. - Radford (12-9, 3-1) led by scores of 6-0 and 7-1 and came as close as a strike away from winning in regulation, but Charleston Southern (12-9, 1-3) scored four runs in the ninth to force extra innings. The Highlanders regrouped and posted a 10-9 victory in 12 innings in the opener Friday night of this Big South three-game series.

"We have a way of making things interesting," RU head coach Joe Raccuia said after his team's sixth extra-inning game of the season in just 21 games. "I am just relieved that we came away with a Friday night win in a conference series."

Radford exploded for five runs in the first inning. Aaron Scoville led off the game with a double off the wall in left-center. Josh Reavis collected the first of his career-high five hits to put runners at the corners, and Alexander Lee singled home a run to give RU an early lead. Bases loaded walks by Hunter Higgerson and Zach Woolcock drove in two more runs, and Chris Coia delivered a two-run single.

Coia doubled in the third to knock in another run after Higgerson had doubled to push the lead to 6-0. Michael Boyle retired the first eight batters he faced until Nate Blanchard doubled and scored on a base hit by Alex Tomasovich to cut the lead to 6-1.

Lee knocked in another run in the fourth with another single, and RU built a 7-1 lead.

Blanchard and Tomasovich again teamed together to produce runs for the Buccaneers in the sixth. Blanchard led off with a base on balls and scored on Tomasovich's two-run homer, and RU led 7-3.

Reavis singled home a run in the eighth, and the Highlanders were seemingly in control heading to the bottom of the eighth.

Boyle gave up back-to-back singles to open the inning and was lifted. He logged 7.0 innings and gave up just five hits. He was charged with four runs. He walked one, struck out four, and stood to gain his second victory of the season, but he would get a no-decision.

Kyle Zurak came on to retire Tomasovich, the only batter he would face, and James Woods gave up an RBI base hit to Bobby Ison. Woods, however, would get back-to-back strike outs to wiggle out of the jam with the lead still at 8-4 heading to the ninth.

After a leadoff single and a strikeout, Woods left the game for closer Michael Costello. Costello walked the first batter he faced and gave up an RBI hit to Sam Remick. Tomasovich drove in his fourth and fifth runs of the night to cut the lead to 8-7. The next pitch from Costello was wild and the tying run plated, but he got Nate Berry to fly out to end the threat and head to extras.

RU left the bases loaded in the 10th, but could not push across the go-ahead run when Lee fouled out to end the inning.

Costello settled in and pitched well in two more extra innings giving up just one hit and striking out two in the 10th and 11th innings. He earned his second victory of the season (2-0) after his teammates posted a pair of runs in the 12th.

Coia reached on an error, and Blake Sipe was hit by a pitch to open the 12th. Scoville sacrificed the runners into scoring position, and Reavis walked to load the bases. Danny Hrbek's RBI hit-by-pitch gave the Highlanders the lead, and a wild pitch pushed the advantage to 10-8. Radford leads the nation in batters hit by a pitch.

Nygeal Andrews gave up two hits and a run in an adventurous bottom half of the 12th to earn a save, his second of the season.

The two teams will play the middle game of the series Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

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