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MacKeith-20160519
1
UNC Asheville AVL 16-36
6
Winner Radford RAD 15-37
UNC Asheville AVL
16-36
1
Final
6
Radford RAD
15-37
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UNC Asheville AVL 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 9 1
Radford RAD 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 X 6 9 0

W: Ridgely, Zack (4-6) L: FULBRIGHT, Jordan (4-6)

3
UNC Asheville AVL 16-37
8
Winner Radford RAD 16-37
UNC Asheville AVL
16-37
3
Final
8
Radford RAD
16-37
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UNC Asheville AVL 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 1
Radford RAD 0 0 2 0 0 1 4 1 X 8 10 1

W: MacKeith, Mitchell (4-6) L: CARR, Jordan (1-9)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD SWEEPS UNC ASHEVILLE IN DOUBLEHEADER; CLINCH EIGHTH SEED IN TOURNAMENT



GAME INFORMATION
  • Game One: Radford 6, UNC Asheville 1
  • Game Two: Radford 8, UNC Asheville 3
  • Records: Radford (16-37, 8-15) | UNC Asheville (16-37, 5-18)
  • Location: RU Baseball Stadium | Radford, Va.
                                      
RADFORD, Va. – Radford rode two dominate pitching performances and timely hitting on its way to securing the eighth seed in next week's Big South Tournament after sweeping UNC Asheville 6-1, 8-3 in Big South double-dip action, Thursday afternoon. Highlander pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts, yielding only three walks in 18 innings. RU batters collected 11 RBIs on 19 hits.
 
GAME ONE
 
The two teams combined for only one hit through the first three innings, before the Highlanders blew the game wide open in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Colby Higgerson got the inning started with a single to center field. Following a Danny Hrbek line out, Jonathan Gonzalez doubled into left field, plating Higgerson for the first run of the game. Shane Johnsonbaugh followed with a triple off the right field wall, giving RU a 2-0 lead.
 
Nygeal Andrews was hit by a pitch, putting Highlanders on the corners. Chandler Davis laid down a sacrifice bunt for single, scoring Johnsonbaugh. Andrews advanced to the third on an errant throw by Jordan Fulbright as the Bulldog pitcher attempted to nab Davis at first. Davis beating the throw to the bag, stayed at first base.
 
Two pitches later, Fulbright let a wild pitch loose, allowing Andrews to score for the fourth RU run of the inning.
 
With two outs, Luke Wise blooped a double down the right field line as Davis scored easily, giving Radford a 5-0 lead on five hits.
 
Commanding a five-run lead, Hrbek added an insurance run with a no doubt home run over the right field wall.
 
Zack Ridgely held the Bulldogs to two hits through five innings, before UNC Asheville added a run in the sixth on a Joe Tietjen RBI single.
 
After allowing only one run over seven innings with five strikeouts, Ridgely gave way to the Highlander bullpen. Kyle Zurak came on to toss two shutout innings, scattering two hits and striking out two.
 
The five-run fourth inning gave the Highlanders a 6-1 win in the curtain raiser.
 
Gonzalez led the Highlanders with a game-high three hits as five different players collected an RBI in the opening win.
 
Win: Zack Ridgely (4-6) (7.0 IP, 7 H, 1R/1ER, 2 BB, 5 K)
Loss: Jordan Fulbright (4-6) (3.2 IP, 6 H, 5R/5ER, 0 BB, 1 K)
 
GAME TWO
 
After two scoreless frames to begin the nightcap, Erik Connolly led off the third with a double into right-center field. Kyle Carruthers followed with a sac bunt, forcing a wild throw by Gonzalez, allowing Connolly to score for the first run of the game.
 
UNC Asheville's lead was short lived as the Highlanders put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom half of the frame.
 
Radford knotted the game at one on a Jordan Carr balk and later took the lead on a Chris Coia sac fly as Wise slid under the tag on a play at the plate, forced by a strong throw from Tietjen in center field.
 
Tietjen would take the game into his own hands lifting a solo blast to left field in the top of the fourth to tie the game at two.
 
A Hrbek double and Gonzalez single set up a RBI opportunity for Andrews. The senior delivered with a single up the middle, giving Radford a 3-2 lead.
 
The Highlanders would pad its lead with a four-run seventh inning. Wise led off the inning with a walk, while going on to swipe second and third base. Coia would follow with a walk to put Highlanders on the corners.
 
Higgerson laid down a sac bunt, plating Wise and a wild throw by the Bulldog catcher allowed Coia to score, while Higgerson scooted into third.
 
Radford added two more runs in the frame on a Hrbek single and Johnsonbaugh double, extended their lead to 7-2.
 
Higgerson picked up his game-high second RBI in the bottom of the eighth with a single into left-center.
 
UNC Asheville added a run in the ninth on a Dan Wilson single as the Highlanders rolled to a 8-3 doubleheader sweeping victory.  
 
Hrbek led the Highlanders with a game-high three hits, while Higgerson finished with two RBIs.
 
Win: Mitchell MacKeith (4-6) (7.0 IP, 3 H, 2R/1ER, 0 BB, 7 K)
Loss: Jordan Carr (1-9) (5.2 IP, 6 H, 3R/3ER, 1 BB, 3 K)
 
Radford will host UNC Asheville in the series and regular season finale tomorrow at 1 p.m. Senior Day activities are slated for 12:45 p.m.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Zack Ridgely has six starts with seven-plus innings pitched. Ridgely has punched out five or more batters in eight games.
  • Mitchell MacKeith matched a career-high seven strikeouts.
  • Jonathan Gonzalez went 4 for 6 with two doubles and a RBI in the two games.
  • Over the last six games, Gonzalez is 11 for 21 with six runs, five doubles and three RBIs.
  • Five of Gonzalez's seven doubles have come in the last four games.
  • Danny Hrbek finished the double-dip with a 4 for 9 effort, including two RBIs and three runs scored.
  • Seven different Highlanders collected a RBI in the two games.
  • Radford swiped a season-high six bases in game two.
  • Luke Wise finished with a career-high three stolen bases in game two.
  • With the two wins and Charleston Southern loss to Presbyterian, Radford clinched the eighth seed in the conference tournament. The Highlanders will play Coastal Carolina in the first round on May 24 at 4:30 p.m.
 
QUOTABLE
"We played good today. It was finally time that we limited big innings and put some up of our own. All four guys that pitched today gave us 16 strong innings. We received two solid starts from [Zack] Ridgely and [Mitchell] MacKeith. I thought offensively, we took some good approaches at the plate and executed. Our defensive effort was strong all day. I'm proud of our guys to come out here and battle, when our backs were against the wall. ~ Radford head coach, Joe Raccuia


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