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Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Riggs-20160329
5
Radford RAD 6-19
6
Winner ETSU ETSU 12-12
Radford RAD
6-19
5
Final
6
ETSU ETSU
12-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Radford RAD 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 5 9 3
ETSU ETSU 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 1 6 9 2

W: TAYLOR, P (3-1) L: Zurak, Kyle (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD FALLS 6-5 TO ETSU ON LATE INNING RALLY IN BORDER CLASH



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: ETSU 6, Radford 5
  • Records: ETSU (12-12) | Radford (6-19)
  • Location: Thomas Stadium | Johnson City, Tenn.  
                                      
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Radford allowed four runs over the final two frames as ETSU sealed a 6-5 comeback victory over the Highlanders, Tuesday night at a frigid Thomas Stadium. The RU bullpen surrender the four runs on two hits and two walks in 3.1 innings of relief.
 
Radford continued its streak of jumping on pitchers earlier as Shane Johnsonbaugh hit a slow rolling groundball to third base, using his speed to beat the throw for an infield single. Johnsonbaugh swiped second base, setting up a RBI opportunity for Trevor Riggs.
 
Riggs, who has turned his season around at the plate, drilled a ball into left field to score Johnsonbaugh from second. The Riggs single gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. With two outs, Jonathan Gonzalez looked to continue the rally for the Highlanders, blooping a single into right field.
 
RU collected its second stolen base of the inning as Gonzalez stole second to put runners on second and third. Zach Duff lined out to left field to end the Radford threat.
 
ETSU followed suit in the bottom half of the opening frame with a two-out run. Hagen Owenby hit an opposite field double to right. Two pitches later, ETSU knotted the game at one on a single from Aaron Maher.
 
After the early run, Tyler Swarmer settled into a groove, working out of jams in the second and third, stranding three runners.
 
The top of the fourth saw well executed baseball by the Highlanders. Duff led off the inning with a single up the middle. With a 3-2 count, head coach Joe Raccuia gave Jordan Taylor and Duff the hit-and-run sign. Taylor placed a perfect ball through the right side as Duff hustled into third base.
 
With runners on the corners, Colby Higgerson laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Duff, giving RU a 2-1 lead. Following the bunt, Luke Wise earned a sixth pitch walk to put runners on first and second. First pitch swinging, Chris Coia grounded into a 5-4-3 double play
 
Radford's lead was short lived as Kevin Phillips launched a 1-0 fastball to straightaway center field as ETSU once again answered the Highlander lead in the bottom of the fourth.
 
ETSU put runners on the corners with no outs after the Phillips home run. Swarmer forced a pop up and two groundballs to hold the Buc runners on base.
 
Following two scoreless frames, Radford broke the contest wide open in the top of the seventh. Coia led off the inning with a single through the right side. Johnsonbaugh followed with another single to right as Coia hustled into third to put Highlanders on the corners.
 
The Highlanders broke the 2-2 tie on a Riggs fielders' choice bunt to the Buccaneer first basemen as Coia slide in head first at home to beat the tag. Riggs' third sac bunt on the season gave the Highlanders a 3-2 lead.
 
Johnsonbaugh and Riggs moved into scoring position on a wild pitch as the ETSU catcher was unable to find the ball. Already extending his hitting streak to 10 games in the opening inning, Gonzalez singled a 3-2 pitch up the middle, emptying the bases for a 5-2 Highlander lead.
 
Four outs from closing out the ballgame, ETSU loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch from the Highlander bullpen. Blake Rowlett lined a single into center field, plating two runs, pulling the Buccaneers within 5-4. One batter later, Robby McCabe tied the game at five on a RBI sacrifice bunt.
                                                                                                                    
Unable to get anything going in the top of the ninth, Radford looked to close out the bottom half and send the game to extra innings.
 
ETSU continued its late inning rally as Trey York led off the bottom of the inning with a single to center field. Following two fly outs, an errant throw from Kyle Zurak on a pickoff attempt at first base allowed York to take off. After Taylor chased down the ball, he fired to third in attempt to nab a greedy York. The throw sailed over Danny Hrbek's head, allowing York to score for the game winning run on two Radford errors.
 
Radford returns to RU Baseball Stadium for a three-game series versus Campbell in the Highlanders' Big South home opening series.  
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Win: Peyton Taylor (3-1) (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 K)
  • Loss: Kyle Zurak (0-1) (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1R/0ER, 0 K)
  • Trevor Riggs and Jonathan Gonzalez led the Highlanders with a two-hit, two-RBI day. Shane Johnsonbaugh contributed two hits of his own.
  • With a single in the opening inning, Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to nine games, going 15 for 37 with nine RBIs over the span.
  • The two hits helped raise Gonzalez's batting average to .350.
  • Colby Higgerson collected his sixth sacrifice bunt on the season.
  • Radford has 19 sacrifices on the season, ranking fourth in the Big South.
  • Mack Krupp struckout a career-high three batters in two innings of relief.

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