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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Brittany Wratchford
Radford Athletics Communications
5
Radford RAD 12-13, 0-2 BSC
6
Winner Liberty LIBERTY 18-12, 5-0 BSC
Radford RAD
12-13, 0-2 BSC
5
Final
6
Liberty LIBERTY
18-12, 5-0 BSC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Radford RAD 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 5 5 1
Liberty LIBERTY 0 0 0 0 2 0 4 6 11 2

W: DIMARTINO, Julia (6-4) L: Morrow, Abby (9-7)

11
Winner Radford RAD 13-13, 1-2 BSC
2
Liberty LIBERTY 18-13, 5-1 BSC
Winner
Radford RAD
13-13, 1-2 BSC
11
Final
2
Liberty LIBERTY
18-13, 5-1 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Radford RAD 3 1 0 5 0 2 11 9 2
Liberty LIBERTY 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 8 2

W: Morrow, Abby (10-7) L: CASSADY, Chase (4-6)

Game Recap: Softball |

RADFORD REBOUNDS FOR RUN-RULE WIN, DH SPLIT WITH LIBERTY



LYNCHBURG, Va. – After seeing the opener of Saturday's Big South doubleheader slip away to a Liberty walk-off win, the Radford softball team bounced back in a big way, dominating the nightcap for an 11-2 six-inning victory.
 
The Flames had scored four runs in the seventh inning to claim a 6-5 decision, but the Highlanders responded to score the first nine runs of the second game, post a season-high scoring total and notch their first run-rule win.
 
Brittany Wratchford went 2 for 4 with a home run, a double and a career-high four RBIs to lead a balanced team effort with six different players drive in runs. Hunter Mundy and Kayla Bishton each added two of Radford's nine hits and combined for three RBIs, while Maggie Rowe had a two-run double, as part of a five-RBI day. Mundy totaled four hits and three RBIs in the two games, while Bishton had three hits and two RBIs.
 
Abby Morrow pitched the first five innings to notch her 10th win of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits. Kayla Huffman pitched out of a jam in the sixth inning to finish it off after Liberty had extended the game once.
 
The Highlanders (13-13, 1-2) did their best to quickly put the opener behind them, striking quickly to take a 3-0 lead in the first. Marissa Gagliano and Sofia Tapia drew walks by Liberty starter Chase Cassady, bringing in Julia DiMartino for relief work for the second straight game. Two batters later, Bishton hit an RBI double to the gap in left-center and Rowe followed with a two-run double over the rightfielder.
 
Radford added another in the second as Gagliano reached on a two-out error, Tapia walked again and Mundy followed with an RBI single to left.
 
The Highlanders then poured it on in the fourth, with five more runs on five hits. Callie Morgan led off with a single and, after a fielder's choice, Tapia hit an RBI double off the third base bag. Cassady reentered in the circle for the Flames, but Mundy greeted her with an RBI single. Bishton's second double of the game put runners at second and third and Lindsey Toneygay was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Wratchford followed with a two-run double to left-center to make it 8-0 and a sacrifice fly by Summer Robinson capped the inning.
 
Liberty (18-13, 5-1) was able to extend the game by scoring two runs with two outs in the fifth on back-to-back RBI triples, but Wratchford pushed the lead back over eight in the top of the sixth, by blasting a two-run homer to left for her team-high sixth of the season.
 
Game 1
Radford led from the first inning until the seventh after grabbing a 1-0 edge in the first on a two-out, RBI single by Bishton. Rowe then made it a 4-0 advantage with a bases-clearing double in the third. Tapia, Mundy and Bishton each drew one-out walks off of freshman starter Elizabeth Engler before the Flames changed pitchers. Two batters later, Rowe hammered a 3-2 pitch off the wall just out of the reach of the leaping centerfielder.
 
Huffman started in the circle and scattered four hits through four innings, stranding a pair of runners in both the second and third before working a perfect fourth to extend her scoreless innings streak to 18 straight. She then retired the first two batters in the fifth before Mallory Marsicek entered in relief. Liberty's 2-3-4 batters followed with consecutive hits on a double and back-to-back two-strike RBI singles to cut the deficit in half.
 
Morrow came on in the sixth and worked a 1-2-3 inning and Radford pushed the lead back up to 5-2 in the top of the seventh on an RBI single by Mundy that followed a Liberty error and a sacrifice bunt.
 
However, the bottom of the seventh turned into a disaster for the Highlander defense. After the No. 9 hitter reached on a swinging bunt, a miscommunication on a grounder to short put two on with nobody out. An RBI single by Amber Bishop made it 5-3 and she advanced to second on a fielding error on the play, before a groundout to third for the first out. The Flames then sent another grounder to third, which led to a pair of rundowns, but Radford was unable to turn either one into an out as one runner scored, the other ended up safe at third and the batter went to second. A two-run single to right followed, giving Liberty the walk-off win and Radford its first loss of the season when leading after four, five or six innings.
 
The Highlanders return to action Wednesday, hosting a non-conference doubleheader against Norfolk State with the first game scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
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