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6
Longwood LWU 8-15
16
Winner Radford RAD 10-12
Longwood LWU
8-15
6
Final
16
Radford RAD
10-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Longwood LWU 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 3 6 11 3
Radford RAD 0 0 0 0 3 5 5 3 X 16 14 0

W: Hrbek, Danny (2-1) L: WAGER, Cody (3-3)

7
Winner Longwood LWU 9-15
1
Radford RAD 10-13
Winner
Longwood LWU
9-15
7
Final
1
Radford RAD
10-13
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Longwood LWU 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 7 14 0
Radford RAD 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 7 2

W: POTOJECKI, Zach (2-2) L: Fritz, Cameron (2-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD SPLITS DOUBLE-DIP; TAKES SERIES OVER LONGWOOD



GAME INFORMATION
  • Game 1: Radford 16, Longwood 6
  • Game 2: Longwood 7, Radford 1
  • Records: Highlanders (10-13, 2-1) | Lancers (9-15, 2-2)
  • Location: Radford Baseball Stadium | Radford, Va.  
 
RADFORD, Va. – Radford opened Big South play with a bang, scoring 27 runs on 30 hits in the three-game series as the Highlanders split the Saturday doubleheader with Longwood to take the series two games to one. The double-dip saw Jonathan Gonzalez and Luke Wise combine for six hits, six RBIs and five runs scored.
 
GAME ONE
 
The Highlanders trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth as Longwood commanded the lead off a two-run home run by Antwaun Tucker and solo shot by Brandon Harvell.
 
Wise evened the contest with one swing in the bottom of the inning as his three-run shot plated Anthony Miano and Clayton Baine. The duo kick started the inning with a walk and hit by pitch.
 
As a brand-new ballgame began, Danny Hrbek reached on a fielding error to start the sixth and Gonzalez followed with a long two-run home run to left-center field to hand Radford a 5-3 lead.
 
Spencer Horwitz and Matt Roth collected back-to-back walks, advancing into scoring position via a wild pitch. The third run of the inning came on a Clayton Baine bunt single as the Lancers were unable to make a play on the bunt.
 
Following Longwood's second pitching change of the inning, Radford loaded the bases on a bunt single and fielders' choice. Kyle Butler capped off the five-run inning with a two-run single through the left side, extending the Radford lead to 8-3.
 
The Highlander offense was not done, putting up another five spot in the seventh. Gonzalez led off the inning with a solo home run to left field for his first career multi-homer game.
 
Playing 21 games without registering a triple, Radford collected two in the inning off the bats of Roth and Wise. Roth's resulted in a run and Wise's set up an Adam Whitacre RBI single.
 
Anthony Miano launched a two-run opposite field home run to right field for the second round tripper of the inning as Radford commanded a 13-3 lead.
 
Already with a 10-run lead, Radford's bats never cooled down as Hrbek led off the eighth with a double, before being lifted for pinch runner Carlin Christian.
 
Hrbek put the Highlanders in a position to win, tossing 6.2 strong innings, allowing only three runs, while striking out four batters.
 
Christian scored on a RBI double off the bat of newly entered Straton Podaras. With an 11-run lead, head coach Joe Raccuia started to go to his bench to rest starters for game two.
 
Radford's fifth home run on the day came off the bat of pinch hitter Richard De la Cruz as the freshman's first career home run pushed Radford's lead to 16-3.
 
The fifth through eighth innings saw 16 runs on 13 hits. Radford was held to one hit through the first four innings.
 
Longwood plated three runs on four hits in the ninth to make the score 16-6, but the Highlanders were able to clinch the series with their fifth game of double-digit runs on the season.
 
Win: Danny Hrbek (2-1) (6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)
Loss: Cody Wager (3-3) (5.0 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K)
 
GAME TWO
 
Longwood controlled an early 2-0 lead once again as the Highlanders left five runners on the base in the first three innings, including two in the first and second.
 
The Lancers pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fifth on a Ryan Shull RBI single up the middle and Harvell's third RBI of the day on a double to right-center.
 
Zach Potojecki came out of the Lancer bullpen in the fourth, retiring the first six Highlanders he faced. Hrbek finally broke through in the sixth as he led off the inning with a walk. Following back-to-back strikeouts, Hrbek swiped second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
 
Radford broke into the scoring column on a Roth two-out RBI triple to right field past a diving Ryan Schull. Roth's second triple of the day pulled Radford within 4-1.
 
Longwood tallied three more runs, holding Radford to a mere two hits over the final three frames, salvaging the series with a 7-1 game three victory.
 
The Lancers' win was highlighted by a lights out showing from Potojecki, who punched out nine over 5.1 innings.
 
For Radford, Kyle Zurak struck out four in 2.1 innings of late relief.
 
Win: Zach Potojecki (2-2) (5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K)
Loss: Cameron Fritz (2-2) (4.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 3 K)
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Radford's five home runs in the first game of the doubleheader fell two short of matching the program record of seven set in 1998. The last time Radford hit five home runs in a game came on April 15, 2006 at VMI.
  • Matt Roth was the lone Highlander to finish with two-plus hits in each game of the doubleheader, finishing 4 for 8 with two RBIs.
  • Roth now has 11 multi-hit games on the season to lead the team. Reaching base safely in both games, Roth's on-base streak sits at 19 straight
  • Luke Wise, Jonathan Gonzalez and Danny Hrbek finished with three hits each.
  • Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 14 games, while collecting his team leading sixth multi-RBI game on the season.
  • He leads the team with five home runs and 18 RBIs.
  • In the series, Gonzalez went 6 for 12 with five RBIs and four runs.
  • Wise's three-RBI game is his first of the season, giving him six RBIs.
  • Also finishing with two RBIs each were Kyle Butler, Anthony Miano and Richard De la Cruz.
  • In the doubleheader, Radford went 21 for 70 with 12 extra base hits.
  • Longwood collected 10 doubles in the two games.
 
 QUOTABLE
  • "Overall, we played two really good baseball games this weekend. We were able to take the series over what I think is a pretty good Longwood team that is going to have some success in Big South play. The final game of the series saw us play undisciplined and we didn't take good at bats like we did in the first two games." ~ Radford head coach Joe Raccuia
 
ON DECK
  • Radford will continue its homestand Tuesday night against border foe ETSU.
  • Radford holds a 18-24 record in the all-time series.
  • First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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