HIGH POINT WINS SERIES FINALE OVER RADFORD

Sunday, April 26

RADFORD

2:00 PM

Radford University

28-14, 14-4

High Point

22-20, 10-8

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
High Point	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	4	12	2
Radford	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	9	0

Photo by: RUHighlanderPhotos.com

4/26/2015 5:59:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

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RADFORD, Va. - Radford (28-14, 14-4) stranded 12 runners Sunday and pushed across just one run on nine hits, and High Point (22-20, 10-8) salvaged the final game of the Big South series with the Highlanders at RU Baseball Stadium, 4-1. RU threatened all day, but a Chris Coia single in the second inning was the only run-producing hit as the Highlanders fell into a three-way tie atop the league standings with Coastal Carolina and Liberty.

High Point scored a run in the first on a Mitchell MacKeith wild pitch and then took the lead for good in the third when Tony Fortier-Benson reached on an infield single to score a run to make it 2-1. The Panthers added single runs in the fifth and sixth to stretch the lead for starter Conor Lourey (2-1), who went 6.0 innings giving up six hits while walking four and striking out six. He earned the victory, and Tyler Britton earned his first save of the season with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to close out the game.

Josh Greene and Connor Jackson both finished 3-5 with an RBI to lead the Panthers at the plate. Two of Jackson's hits were doubles and he scored two runs as well.

"We were a step behind in every aspect today," Radford head coach Joe Raccuia said. "We didn't make a pitch when we needed it. We didn't make a play when we needed it. We didn't take consistent at bats."

MacKeith (5-4) suffered the loss in 5.0 innings of work. He allowed three runs on nine hits. Austin Ross pitched the final 4.0 innings with three hits and a run surrendered.

"We can't just continue to think we are going to come back in every game, and today it nipped us," Raccuia said. "I didn't like the way we played all weekend, to be honest. We have to understand that this is going to get harder down the stretch, and we need to dig down and realize how hard it is to be a championship team."

Patrick Marshall (2-4) was the only Highlander to record multiple hits. Radford did not record an extra base hit in the game.

Radford did win its 10th straight Big South series dating back to last season, and the Highlanders own the head-to-head tie-breaker over both Coastal and Liberty. RU's next five games are outside of conference play beginning with four straight home games this week. The Highlanders host VMI on Tuesday (6:00), West Virginia on Wednesday (2:00), and James Madison on Friday (6:30) and Saturday (4:00).