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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Shane Johnsonbaugh
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High Point HPU 21-19, 9-7 BSC
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Winner Radford RAD 27-13, 13-3 BSC
High Point HPU
21-19, 9-7 BSC
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Final
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Radford RAD
27-13, 13-3 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
High Point HPU 3 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 6 11 1
Radford RAD 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 X 7 11 1

W: Swarmer, Tyler (1-1) L: GOODMAN, Joe (0-2) S: Meisinger, Ryan (11)

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High Point HPU 21-20, 9-8 BSC
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Winner Radford RAD 28-13, 14-3 BSC
High Point HPU
21-20, 9-8 BSC
5
Final
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Radford RAD
28-13, 14-3 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
High Point HPU 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 5 11 1
Radford RAD 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 6 7 3

W: Meisinger, Ryan (3-0) L: SCRUBB, Andre (3-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

LATE HEROICS LEAD RADFORD TO DOUBLEHEADER SWEEP, CLINCH SERIES

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RADFORD, Va. - Shane Johnsonbaugh capped off a pair of remarkable victories for Radford (28-13, 14-3) on Friday night with his first career home run to walkoff with a 6-5 win in the nightcap of a doubleheader against High Point (21-20, 9-8). In the matinee at RU Baseball Stadium, the Highlanders rallied for four runs in the eighth inning to overcome a 6-3 deficit and post a 7-6 win also in their final at bat.

"I'm speechless right now, to be honest," Radford head coach Joe Raccuia said. "We didn't play very well at all. When you're winning, there's a belief that you are going to win. The bottom line is we got a swing. It was just enough. I am obviously happy we won two games, but I hope we learned our lesson about defense and throwing strikes and competing for every pitch."

GAME 1 - Radford 7, High Point 6
Radford rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth scoring the tying run on a wild pitch and the go-ahead run on a Hunter Higgerson sacrifice fly.

Trailing 6-3, Aaron Scoville led off the rally with a bunt single followed by an infield base hit from Brad Keen. Chris Coia walked to load the bases with no outs. Josh Gardiner drove in two runs with a base hit off Panther closer, Joe Goodman (0-2), who inherited three base runners from Will Resnik. Coia advanced to third on the hit and came across to tie the game on a Goodman wild pitch. Higgerson then delivered the fly ball to left field to score Gardiner and complete the comeback. Goodman's lone run allowed cost him the loss on the mound.

Radford starter Michael Boyle was not sharp, but battled for 6.1 innings after allowing three runs in the first and another in the second as High Point built a 4-0 lead. The Highlanders cuts the lead in half in the second on an RBI single from Gardiner and an unearned run that plated when HPU starter, John McGillicuddy, threw away a pick off at first base, and Coia scampered home from third. Gardiner doubled home another run in the fourth to cut the lead to 4-3.

High Point scored what looked to be two decisive runs in the seventh on a single by Josh Greene, but Tyler Swarmer (1-1) held the Panthers at bay leaving the bases loaded and setting up the eighth inning heroics. Swarmer went 1.2 innings and earned his first victory of the season. After the Highlanders gained the lead, Ryan Meisinger worked a perfect ninth to earn his Big South-leading 11th save of the season.

GAME 2 - Radford 6, High Point 5
Johnsonbaugh lifted a 2-1 pitch deep over the right field fence for the walkoff win after High Point rallied for a tying run off of Meisinger in the top of the ninth. The blast was the first homer of his career and came off Andre Scrubb (3-1), who had retired Coia and Gardiner to start the inning.

It looked as the Radford would not need ninth-inning heroics after getting them from Higgerson in the eighth. High Point scored twice in the sixth and once in the seventh to erase a 4-1 RU lead heading to the bottom of the eighth. Higgerson blasted his fourth home run of the season to lead off the inning and give Radford a 5-4 lead.

Meisinger (3-0), however, blew a save opportunity, but earned the victory. Greene doubled off the right field wall and scored on a Dane McDermott double to tie the game, but Meisinger coaxed a foul out to the catcher from Chris Clare to end the threat and make possible Johnsonbaugh's game-winner.

Each team scored a run in the first inning of the nightcap. Hunter Lee led off the game with a double for the Panthers and scored on Josh Spano's RBI single. Spano had five hits in the two games for HPU. Gardiner too led off the game with a double for the Highlanders in the bottom half. He came across on a Patrick Marshall RBI single.

RU took the lead with three runs without the benefit of a base hit in the third. Marshall's bases loaded walk forced in a run, Higgerson hit a sac fly, and Keen also walked home a run with the bases juiced. All four runs were charged to HPU starter, Cas Silber, who did not record an out after facing four batters in the third.

The Highlanders and Panthers are scheduled to play the series finale Saturday at noon, weather permitting, as rain is expected in the New River Valley.
 
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