RADFORD AND GEORGE MASON MEET IN FIRST THREE-GAME SERIES

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RADFORD, Va. – With 11 teams in the Big South, Radford has its off weekend in conference play, stepping outside of league play for a non-conference series versus George Mason. The three-game series marks the first in the all-time series between the two foes. The series marks the first of three in the Highlanders seven-game homestand.

SETTING THE STAGE
- Series: George Mason leads 1-5
- Location: RU Baseball Stadium (Radford, Va.)
- Video (Friday Only)
- Audio
- Live Stats
- Game Notes

ON THE BUMP
Friday, April 22 – 6:30 p.m.
RHP Tyler Zombro (1-7, 6.08) vs. LHP Zack Ridgely (2-3, 2.77)
Saturday, April 23 – 4 p.m.
LHP Joe Williams (1-5, 5.68) vs. LHP Mitchell MacKeith (3-3, 4.30)
Sunday, April 24 – 2 p.m.
LHP Brian Marconi (0-3, 5.79) vs. RHP Dylan Nelson (0-7, 5.70)

LAST MEETING (March 19, 2013)

Radford rallied for two runs in the ninth and brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but George Mason held on for a 5-4 victory Tuesday at Spuhler Field.
RU (10-9, 2-1) stranded a pair of runners in its final at bat as Shane Johnsonbaugh flew out to left field with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. The runners were the 11th and 12th stranded by the Highlanders on the afternoon.
Trailing 5-2 entering the top of the last, Josh Gardiner led off with a standup double to right center. Josh Reavis followed with a base on balls, and Jeff Kemp extended his hitting steak to seven games with an RBI single. Zach Woolcock delivered a one-out RBI single to cut the Mason lead to 5-4, but the Highlanders could not push across the tying run.
The Highlanders failed to take advantage of sloppy play by the Patriots the early innings. In the third inning alone, GMU committed three fielding errors, and RU did not come up with a run in the inning. In the fourth, the Highlanders missed a chance to score when Woolcock was thrown out at the plate on a safety squeeze play.
George Mason (10-10) answered those missed opportunities for RU with a four-run fourth inning stringing together four extra base hits in the inning.
RU answered back in the fifth with two runs on RBI singles by Woolcock and Alexander Lee . Lee finished the day 3-5, and Woolcock was 2-4 as they were the only Highlanders to record multiple hits.
GMU added an insurance run in the fifth that turned out to be the difference in the game. Six of the Patriots' 10 base hits on the day went for extra bases (5 doubles, 1 triple).
Dylan Nelson (2-2) took the loss for the Highlanders. He went 3.2 innings and gave up four earned runs with a walk and a strikeout. Michael Bowie earned the win for GMU.

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 10-27
Radford dropped a 11-3 decision to Virginia on Tuesday night in the first meeting between the two foes since 2013. With the loss, the Highlanders fall to 3-5 against Commonwealth opponents.
Danny Hrbek led the Highlanders with a 2 for 4 effort at the plate. Hrbek extended his on-base streak to 14 games, collecting his 16th multi-hit performance
With his RBI single in the top of the first, Hrbek has six RBIs in 11 opportunities with a runner on third and less than two outs.
Trevor Riggs has faired well versus non-conference opponents, driving in 12 of his 16 RBIs.
Posting some of his best offensive stats in non-conference games, Shane Johnsonbaugh has totaled four home runs, six doubles and 12 RBIs. The senior has swiped four bags in five attempts.
Highlander batters will face two left-handers from George Mason's rotation. RU is 63 for 89 versus portpaws.
Radford's weekend rotation has combined for a 3.30 ERA versus non-conference batters, allowing 29 earned runs in 79.1 innings pitched.
Mitchell MacKeith has a 2-1 record with a 3.15 ERA, while Zack Ridgely follows with a 1-2 record and a 3.19 ERA.
In 11 appearances versus non-conference foes, Travis McQueen has tallied 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

SCOUTING GEORGE MASON

Record: 11-26
George Mason snapped a five-game losing streak with a 6-5 victory over James Madison in an 11-inning titanic struggle on Tuesday night.
Kent Blackstone gave the Patriots the win with a walk off RBI single, scoring Caleb Walls from second base.
Blackstone provides the power in the Patriot offense, leading the squad with five triples, nine doubles, 24 RBIs and 33 hits.
Garett Driscoll leads the offense with a .268 batting average, while stringing together a slugging percentage of .493 and a .430 on-base percentage.
Tyler Nelin and Driscoll paced the Patriots with four home runs each.
Not registering enough bats to be considered the leader in batting average, Brady Acker sports a .352 average in 54 at bats.
Opposing teams have had their way on the base paths, racking up 54 steals in 68 attempts.
Zach Mort has been the lone bright spot out of the Patriot bullpen, posting a 3-2 record and a 3.28 ERA in 16 appearances. Opponents are hitting. 195 off of Mort.
George Mason ranks tied for third in fielding percentage among A-10 teams. The Patriots have committed 44 errors for a .968 percentage.
The Patriots are 3-4 against teams from the Commonwealth.

UP NEXT

Radford continues its seven-game homestand with the second game of the border bash with ETSU.
The Highlanders look to avenge a 6-5 loss on March 29, in which the Buccaneers battled back for the walk off win on two RU errors.
First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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