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Jonathan Gonzalez-VaTech-20160322
8
Virginia Tech VT 10-12
12
Winner Radford RAD 5-16
Virginia Tech VT
10-12
8
Final
12
Radford RAD
5-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Virginia Tech VT 0 4 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 8 13 5
Radford RAD 1 2 3 1 0 3 1 1 X 12 15 3

W: Swarmer, Tyler (1-2) L: Nic Enright (0-1) S: McQueen, Travis (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD UNLEASHES 15 HITS IN 12-8 WIN OVER VIRGINIA TECH IN NRV SHOWDOWN



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 12, Virginia Tech 8
  • Records: Radford (5-16) | Virginia Tech (10-12)
  • Location: RU Baseball Stadium | Radford, Va.  
                                      
RADFORD, Va. – Radford scattered 15 hits, while scoring in every inning but one in a 12-8 victory over Virginia Tech in the second matchup of the New River Valley Showdown, Tuesday night at an electric RU Baseball Stadium. The offensive explosion saw five Highlanders collect multi-hit performances.
 
The Highlanders got on the board first in the bottom half of the opening frame as Shane Johnsonbaugh and Danny Hrbek reached on consecutive fielders' choices, moving up on a passed ball by the Hokie catcher. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Trevor Riggs gave RU an early 1-0 lead.
 
After quick first inning, the Virginia Tech batters started to find success against Radford starter Tyler Swarmer. The Hokies knotted the game at one on a RBI single by Matt Dauby. Two more runs came on a Sam Fragale double off the left-center field wall. Another Hokie run came on a RBI groundout from Sam Jenco as Virginia Tech scored four runs on three hits, taking a 4-1 lead.
 
The bottom half of the inning saw Jordan Taylor and Luke Wise reach on back-to-back walks. A Colby Higgerson groundout allowed the two runners to move up one base, putting two in scoring position for Chris Coia. Recently breaking out of a slump, Coia lined a single into left field, plating Taylor and Wise to pull within 4-3 of the Hokies.
 
Working around a double and catcher's interference call in the third, Swarmer got Andrew Mogg to pop up behind the plate as RU catcher Chandler Davis made an unreal catch against the backstop netting to send the Highlanders into the bottom half of the inning unscathed.  
 
Hrbek led off the inning with a single to center field. Following a Trevor Riggs strikeout, Jonathan Gonzalez singled through the left side. With runners on first and second, Davis lifted a double into right-center field, scoring Hrbek from second. Following a pitching change, Taylor ripped a single up the middle to score two more RU runs as the Highlanders retook a 6-4 lead.
 
With a runner standing on second base, Swarmer received a heads up double from Higgerson and Coia. Ryan Tufts lined out to Higgerson at short, who quickly flipped onto Coia, doubling up the Hokie runner at second.
 
Radford took advantage of its defensive efforts, plating another run in the fourth. Following a Johnsonbaugh walk, hot-hitting Hrbek tripled down the left field line, extending the Highlander lead to 7-4.
 
Virginia Tech would get runs in the fifth and sixth on leadoff home runs from Phil Sciretta and Mogg. The solo shots would pull the Hokies within 7-6 of the Highlanders.
 
The fifth inning was the only inning the Highlanders were unable to push across a run, but had an opportunity with runners on the corners.
 
Johnsonbaugh kicked off the bottom half of the sixth with a single to center field, advancing to second via a stolen base. After a Hrbek fly out, down 0-2 in the count, Riggs earned a hard fought walk. With two runners on base, Gonzalez stepped up the plate, looking to extend the RU lead.
 
Gonzalez brought the crowd of 487 in attendance to their feet as he launched a no-doubt home run into the night over the right field wall. The Gonzalez blast gave Radford a comfortable 10-6 lead.
 
Radford's bell cow in the bullpen, Travis McQueen came on to relieve Swarmer in the top of the seventh. The Hokies jumped on McQeen early with a Tufts single and Sciretta walk. Nick Anderson followed with a single into left field, but a booted ball by Adam Whitacre allowed Tufts to score. McQueen settled down, striking out the next three Hokies as the Highlanders went into the seventh inning stretch leading 10-7.
 
The bottom half of the frame saw Radford put runners on the corners with a Coia leadoff double and Hrbek single. With a prime opportunity to pad the lead, Riggs placed a perfectly executed bunt between the pitcher's mound and foul line. Virginia Tech was unable to make a decision on which base to throw to as Coia crossed the plate on the Riggs' sacrifice fielders' choice bunt. The perfect bunt gave Radford a 11-7 lead.
 
With two innings left to play, Virginia Tech was not going down without a fight as Dauby led off with a double in the eighth. The Hokies looked to add another run on a Fragale double into left-center field, but a well executed relay from Riggs to Higgerson to Davis got Dauby at the dish. Fragale would later score on a Tufts' single.
 
Leading 11-8 and looking to hold off a fighting Virginia Tech squad, Radford added one more run in the eighth on a Whitacre opposite field double.
 
McQueen closed the door on the Hokies, earning the three inning save as Highlanders evened the NRV series at one on the backs of a 12-8 victory.
 
The winner takes all NRV Showdown matchup between the Hokies and Highlanders will take place on April 12 at Calfee Park in Pulaski, Va.
 
Radford will have one of its fastest turnarounds of the season, traveling to in-state Big South foe Longwood on Thursday for a three-game series. In 2015, Radford did not play Longwood in the regular season, but defeated the Lancers 5-3 in the first round of the Big South Tournament.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Win: Tyler Swarmer (1-2) (6 IP, 7 H, 6R/4ER, 2 BB, 2 K)
  • Loss: Nic Enright (0-1) (2.1 IP, 4 H, 6R/5ER, 2 BB, 3 K)
  • Save: Travis McQueen (1) (3.0 IP, 2 H, 2R/1ER, 2 BB, 6 K)
  • Swarmer collected his first victory since April 24, 2015 in a relief appearance versus High Point.
  • The win gave Swarmer his third win as a starter.
  • Four days removed from earning his win as a Highlander, McQueen earned his first career save.
  • McQueen struckout a career-high six batters in the win.
  • Danny Hrbek and Chandler Davis paced the Highlanders with three-hit efforts.
  • Hrbek picks up his third three-hit contest on the season and extends his hitting streak to five games.
  • Davis earned the first three-hit game of his career and is 5 for 10 with three runs scored, two doubles and two RBI in his last two starts.
  • Jonathan Gonzalez continues to swing a hot bat, finishing 2 for 5 with a three-run home run, the first of his Radford career.
  • Gonzalez is currently riding a six-game hitting streak. Over the span, the junior is 10 for 23 with seven RBI, six runs scored, one double and one home run.
  • Jordan Taylor and Chris Coia finished with two hits and two RBI each.
  • In their last two games, Radford has scored 25 runs on 31 hits.
 
QUOTABLE
  • "This win helps us continue to gain confidence. We started to get better at bats over the course of the weekend and it carried into today. There are a lot of guys swinging the bat and playing well right now. We are getting hits from other people besides [Danny] Hrbek, which is an important thing right now. Guys like [Trevor] Riggs and [Jonathan] Gonzalez are playing better, which gives us a kickstart in our order. It seemed like everything was up in the zone for both sides today and [Tyler] Swarmer is not the type of guy that can leave balls up in the zone. Travis McQueen and Swarmer filled up the strike zone today. They threw well enough to get us a win tonight." ~ Radford head coach, Joe Raccuia

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