DAVIS’ WALK-OFF HR IN 11TH CAPS OFF RADFORD'S SWEEP

Sunday, April 10

RADFORD

1PM

Radford University

23-15, 0

Gardner-Webb

17-20, 0

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Gardner-Webb	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	3	0
Radford	0	0	0	2	1	0	X	3	7	1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Gardner-Webb	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0	0	1	2	9	11	2
Radford	0	0	1	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	4	11	12	4

Photo by: RUHighlanderPhotos.com

DAVIS’ WALK-OFF HR IN 11TH CAPS OFF RADFORD'S SWEEP

4/10/2016 7:29:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

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RADFORD, Va. – Whitney Davis hit a two-run home run to cap off a four-run bottom of the 11th inning, lifting the Radford softball team to a dramatic 11-9 victory over Gardner-Webb Sunday evening as it completed a three-game sweep of the Big South Conference series.

After taking a 3-1 decision in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader, the Highlanders let a five-run lead slip away in the second. However, they rallied from behind three times after that to outlast the Runnin' Bulldogs and improve to 24-15 overall and 7-5 in the conference.

After each team scored once in the 10th inning under international tie-breaker rules, Gardner-Webb scored two unearned runs in the top of the 11th. In the bottom of the frame, Jessica Curbiera went to third on a passed ball and Becky Mantel drew a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Summer Robinson then followed with a game-tying two-run double to the gap in left-center.

That set up Davis for the game-winner, as she drilled a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left-center to complete the comeback. It was her eighth homer of the season and 30th of her career, and provided Radford's first three-game conference sweep since 2014. The game was also RU's longest by innings since a 2-1 11-inning victory over Towson that same season.

Robinson recorded a career-high four hits and equaled a career-best with four RBIs. She tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out RBI single. Marissa Gagliano was also a hero for the Highlanders, as her two-out RBI single in the 10th extended the game. She totaled three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored.

Prior to the late-game dramatics, Curbiera was RU's offensive star of the day, hitting her first two career home runs – with one in each game.

Meanwhile, Abby Morrow recorded both victories in the circle. She pitched a complete-game three-hitter in the opener before working 5 1/3 innings of relief in the second game. She didn't allow an earned run in either contest.

Robinson's RBI single gave Radford a 1-0 lead in the third inning of the nightcap. The Highlanders then added four runs in the fourth on a two-run single by Gagliano and two-run homer by Curbiera.

Gardner-Webb used four hits, two costly RU errors and three walks to score six runs in the top of the sixth and take its first lead of the series.

In the bottom of the inning, Curbiera drew a walk, moved to second on Mantel's sacrifice and went to third on an illegal pitch. Robinson then poked her tying single back up the middle.

The Runnin' Bulldogs started the 10th with a sacrifice before Morrow got a strikeout, but a swinging bunt scored the run to make it 7-6. Radford also started its inning with a sac bunt to move the runner to third, but was down to its last out before Gagliano sliced the run-scoring single in front of the left-fielder.

A throwing error with two outs extended the top of the 11th for Gardner-Webb and it capitalized with Amanda Gomes' two-run single, but Davis and the Highlanders had the final answer shortly after.

In the first game, Curbiera and Marissa Yow provided the offense on a pair of home runs. Curbiera went 2 for 2 for her first career multi-hit game, while Yow got Radford on the board with a two-run homer in the fourth inning, her fourth of the season. Robinson also had two hits in the game, giving her six for the day.

Morrow was perfect until the fifth inning before finishing with a three-hitter. She had four strikeouts and no walks. The junior retired the first 14 batters – giving her 30 in a row going back to Friday's series opener – before the Bulldogs got back-to-back singles with two outs in the fifth. An error on a deep flyball to left provided the Runnin' Bulldogs' lone run, Medlam recovered on the play and combined with Gagliano to throw out the second Gardner-Webb runner at the plate.

The Highlanders then wasted no time getting the run back as Curbiera led off the bottom of the inning by homering over the right-field fence for the first of her career.

Morrow took it from there, working a perfect sixth before pitching around a leadoff single in the seventh to finish it off.

Radford will make its final non-conference roadtrip of the season on Wednesday as it heads to in-state foe Hampton for a doubleheader.

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