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Softball

SOFTBALL PLAYS A PAIR AT APPALACHIAN STATE WEDNESDAY



RADFORD, Va. – The Radford softball team returns to action on Wednesday as it travels to Appalachian State for a non-conference doubleheader, with the first game set for a 4 p.m. start in Boone, N.C.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
  • Day/Time: Tuesday, April 6 | 4 p.m. (DH)
  • Location: Sywassink/Lloyd Family Stadium (Boone, N.C.)
  • Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2
  • Live Video ($)
  • Series: Radford leads 13-10
  • History: The teams are meeting for the fifth straight season with Appalachian State winning four of the last seven games, including a doubleheader sweep last year. The Highlanders are making their first visit to Boone since 2013.
 
HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS
  • Record: 20-14
  • Abby Morrow allowed just earned run in two complete games over the weekend against Coastal Carolina's Big South-leading offense. She lowered her ERA for the season to 2.24, second in the conference.
  • Radford also remains second in the league as a team at 2.84.
  • Becky Mantel moved up to sixth in program history with 131 runs scored. She is fifth in the conference with 27 this season, while ranking second on the team with five home runs and 21 RBIs. The senior has reached base in eight straight games.
  • Marissa Gagliano leads the team with a .351 average, 40 hits and 20 stolen bases and is second with 25 runs.
  • Casey Burns (.321), Nia Chiles (.320) and Kayla Bishton (.308) also remain over .300 at the plate, with Marissa Yow just under (.295).
  • The Highlanders are first in the Big South with 51 doubles, one shy of their total from all of last year. Individually, Yow is tied for fourth in the conference with nine, while Bishton is right behind with eight. Gagliano and Chiles each have seven.
  • Radford has homered in four straight games, its longest streak of the season, with Summer Robinson hitting one in each of the last two.
 
SCOUTING APPALACHIAN STATE
  • Record: 8-29
  • Appalachian State is coming off of a 4-3 win over UT Arlington on Sunday that snapped a six-game losing streak and eight-game skid in Sun Belt Conference play.
  • Radford is the Mountaineers' third Big South opponent this season, having lost at Coastal Carolina (5-0) and won two of three against Campbell. ASU also defeated Marshall (4-3). It lost a game by a 25-19 score to Troy on March 18.
  • Appalachian is batting .258 as a team with 40 doubles and 32 home runs, but just eight stolen bases.
  • Cara Parker and Jenny Dodd lead the offense, combining for 69 RBIs. Parker is batting .346 with eight home runs and eight doubles, while Dodd is at .299 with seven homers.
  • Natalie Orcutt is hitting a team-best .350, while Heather Josey has added eight doubles and six home runs.
  • In the circle, Vanessa Ciocatto has made a team-high 30 appearances and 20 starts. She has a 6-14 record and 4.87 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 53 walks in 106.1 innings.
  • Ciocatto shared the team-lead with four wins last year, but did not appear in either game vs. the Highlanders. Kaitlin Williford, who won both of those games, has made just three appearances this season.
  • Annaleise Kennedy has started eight games in 2016 and is 2-9 with a 6.56 ERA. Two other pitchers have made at least 11 appearances.
 
UP NEXT
Radford returns to the New River Valley for another home conference weekend series against Gardner-Webb, starting with a Saturday doubleheader at 1 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Kayla Bishton

#20 Kayla Bishton

OF/1B
5' 8"
Junior
L/L
Casey Burns

#3 Casey Burns

1B/3B
5' 7"
Senior
R/R
Nia Chiles

#7 Nia Chiles

UT
5' 11"
Senior
L/R
Marissa Gagliano

#5 Marissa Gagliano

OF/SS
5' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
L/R
Becky Mantel

#12 Becky Mantel

OF
5' 4"
Senior
R/R
Abby Morrow

#2 Abby Morrow

P
5' 10"
Junior
R/R
Summer Robinson

#6 Summer Robinson

OF
5' 3"
Junior
R/R
Marissa Yow

#23 Marissa Yow

C
5' 9"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Kayla Bishton

#20 Kayla Bishton

5' 8"
Junior
L/L
OF/1B
Casey Burns

#3 Casey Burns

5' 7"
Senior
R/R
1B/3B
Nia Chiles

#7 Nia Chiles

5' 11"
Senior
L/R
UT
Marissa Gagliano

#5 Marissa Gagliano

5' 4"
Redshirt Freshman
L/R
OF/SS
Becky Mantel

#12 Becky Mantel

5' 4"
Senior
R/R
OF
Abby Morrow

#2 Abby Morrow

5' 10"
Junior
R/R
P
Summer Robinson

#6 Summer Robinson

5' 3"
Junior
R/R
OF
Marissa Yow

#23 Marissa Yow

5' 9"
Freshman
R/R
C