RADFORD LOOKS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN OVER VIRGINIA TECH ON TUESDAY

RADFORD, Va. – Radford travels up the road to face New River Valley foe Virginia Tech on Tuesday for an afternoon showdown in the first of two matchups. The Highlanders are looking to collect their third straight win over the Hokies in the all-time series. In three matchups a season ago, Radford took the series 2-1.

SETTING THE STAGE
- Series: Virginia Tech, 42-14
- Location: English Field (Blacksburg, Va.)
- Live Stats

ON THE BUMP
Tuesday, February 28 – 3 p.m.
LHP Andrew Nardi (0-1, 6.23 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Coward (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

LAST MEETING

Lights out pitching and timely hitting carried Radford to a 5-1 New River Valley series win over rival Virginia Tech, Wednesday night at historic Calfee Park. The Highlanders scored four runs in the opening two frames and used eight strikeouts from its pitching staff en route to taking the rivalry series for the second straight season.
Seven different Highlanders collected a hit in the win.
Jonathan Gonzalez, Chris Coia and Jordan collected an RBI each.
Shane Johnsonbaugh broke the game wide open for the Highlanders with a two-run blast over the right-center field wall in a four-run second inning.
Facing Virginia Tech for the third time on the season, Tyler Swarmer allowed only three hits and one unearned run over five innings, plucking five Hokies.
Travis McQueen came on in relief of Swarmer, allowing only one hit, striking out three batters in three innings.

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 1-6
After collecting its first win of the season in an 8-7 decision over North Florida on Feb. 18, Radford has dropped five games in a row.
The Highlanders put up a strong fight against Atlantic Coast power No. 9 North Carolina over the weekend, dropping two two-run games in the weekend series.
In the three-game series, Radford hitters struck out 40 times in 98 at bats.
Danny Hrbek finished the series 6 for 12 at the plate. The performance bumps Hrbek's batting average up to .308, leading the team.
Joining Hrbek as the only other Highlander with a hit in each contest, Matt Roth went 4 for 13 with two runs scored.
Entering the Tuesday matchup with hitting streaks, Hrbek posts a four-game streak and Roth holds a three-game streak.
Jonathan Gonzalez and Richard De la Cruz collected multi-RBI games in the series.
Appearing in the final two games of the series, Kyle Butler collected three hits in eight at bats, driving in one run and scoring another.
Freshman Spencer Horwitz leads the team with five RBIs as four Highlanders follow with two RBIs a piece.
Four of Horwitz's RBIs have come with two outs.
In his first collegiate start on Feb. 21, Andrew Nardi struck out a career-high nine batters, allowing three runs in 4.1 innings pitched. Nardi faced 17 batters, yielding only two hits and two walks. The lefthander punched out five of the first seven batters he faced.
Freshman Austin Gerber has been fantastic out of the bullpen through two outings. Gerber has tossed 8.1 innings, allowing only two earned runs, while striking out six batters.

SCOUTING VIRGINIA TECH

Record: 7-1
Through eight games, Virginia Tech is off to a hot start, outscoring opponents 79-42.
The Hokies have only scored below seven runs in one game.
On Opening Day, Sam Fragale went 5 for 5, falling a single shy of the cycle. Fragale connected for three home runs, a triple and double. He scored four runs and drove in seven.
Through the first eight games, Fragale holds a .455 average with 15 RBIs.
Jack Owens leads the team with a .500 average and 17 hits.
Virginia Tech has racked up 21 doubles on the season with four players collecting three or more. Ryan Tufts and Fragale lead the way with five each.
Last time out, Virginia Tech collected a 24-10 Sunday win over Nevada to collect the series win in the Hokies first trip to the Silver State.
In the football score game, Rahiem Cooper hit three home runs, including two grand slams, becoming the first Hokie in program history to hit two grand slams in the same game. Cooper finished the game with nine RBIs.
In three appearances out of the bullpen, Aaron McGarity has tossed 4.1 hitless and scoreless innings, striking out six in the process.
In his first Tuesday start of the season, Connor Coward threw six scoreless innings, yielding three hits with five strikeouts in a 7-0 win over Marshall on Feb. 21

UP NEXT

Radford continues its slew of games in the Tar Heel State on Friday. The Highlanders will play three different teams in Winston-Salem. The games will be hosted by Wake Forest.
Friday: Kent State – 12 p.m.
Saturday: Quinnipiac – 10 a.m.
Sunday: Wake Forest – 2 p.m.

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