RADFORD BEGINS LONGWOOD SERIES FRIDAY NIGHT; ESPNU GAME SATURDAY

Follow @RadfordSoftball

Live Stats | Game 1 Video | WatchESPN (Game 2)

RADFORD, Va. – After finishing off its non-conference schedule, the Radford softball team begins its final push toward the Big South Tournament with the first of two conference home series' as it welcomes Longwood this weekend. The in-state foes will meet for a single game Friday night at 7 p.m. and play a doubleheader Saturday with the 2 p.m. opener televised on ESPNU.

The Highlanders currently sit fifth in the conference standings, with the top six qualifying for the tournament. They are the lone team with six league contests remaining and face the two teams just ahead of them the next two weekends.

Radford will also be looking to break through against Longwood in Big South play for the first time, as the two-time defending champion Lancers have won 13 straight meetings since joining the league. The Highlanders' last win came in their final non-conference matchup, in 2012 at home. Longwood holds a 20-15 all-time lead.

HIGHLANDER HIGHLIGHTS

Record: 25-22, 6-9
Radford has allowed two or fewer runs in six of its last seven games and suffered its first loss of the season when doing so Wednesday night at Virginia Tech.
Abby Morrow has surrendered just two earned runs in 32 innings over her last five starts, lowering her ERA from 3.58 to 3.01. She has limited opponents to five or fewer hits in three of the outings.
Morrow is now seventh in the Big South in ERA, while continuing to lead the way in wins (18) and innings pitched (181.1). The right-hander is also seventh with 91 strikeouts on the season and has 352 for her career, three away from tying Deana Benner for third in program history. She shares fourth place with 125 appearances.
Kayla Huffman has a 2.55 ERA in her eight appearances at home, striking out 50 in 44 innings.
Hannah Medlam is on a five-game hitting streak, batting .467 (7 for 15) during the span, and has reached base in six straight games. She is second on the team with a .333 average in conference play.
Hunter Mundy has reached in five straight and now has 22 walks, tied for second on the team with Marissa Gagliano and one behind fellow freshman Sofia Tapia, who is tied for fifth in the league with 23.
Mundy has team-high averages of .333 overall (ninth in BSC), .442 in conference play (4th in BSC) and .357 at home. Her 31 RBIs are tied for sixth in the conference, while her .674 slugging percentage in league action is third-best.
The Highlanders are batting .269 as a team at home, with Summer Robinson at .356, Maggie Rowe at .326 and Gagliano at .319. Brittany Wratchford has team-highs of six home runs and 12 RBIs.
Wratchford's nine total homers are tied for fifth in the league, while Rowe is tied for ninth with her six and Gagliano stands tied for eighth in runs scored (33).

SCOUTING LONGWOOD

Records: 21-26, 10-8
After a slow start to the season overall and in the conference, Longwood is coming on strong, having won five of its last six games to move up to third in the Big South.
The Lancers are coming off taking two of three at first-place Liberty on Tuesday and Wednesday with 3-2 and 3-0 victories. In the lone loss, Longwood led 6-0 in the sixth inning before Liberty rallied for a 7-6 walk-off win.
The combination of two-time Pitcher of the Year Elizabeth McCarthy and Sydney Gay has led the way, helping the team to a Big South-best 1.88 ERA in conference play.
McCarthy is 7-2 in 12 Big South appearances, ranking second with a 1.46 ERA. She has posted all three of her shutouts against league teams, while combining on two others. Overall, the senior is 9-8 with a 2.98 ERA, 96 strikeouts and 37 walks in 105.2 innings.
Gay is third in the conference with a 2.29 ERA and fourth in league play at 1.77. The sophomore owns a 12-13 record, while ranking second in the Big South with 128 strikeouts and 165 innings, with 49 walks.
The two combined to shut out Charleston Southern twice last weekend and Gay blanked the Flames in the finale of Wednesday's doubleheader. McCarthy had pitched five shutout innings in the opener before things fell apart late.
Offensively, the Lancers rank eighth in the conference in batting (.234), but have upped that to .264 in league play and totaled 25 hits against Liberty.
Sophomore outfielder Jordan Clark leads the team with a .311 average and 23 RBIs, including 10 in Big South action. She hit two of her four home runs in the loss Wednesday.
Sophomore catcher Kaylynn Batten has 10 doubles and 20 RBIs on the season and is hitting .339 in league play with five of her doubles, 10 RBIs and two of her three homers.
Glenn Walters is the team's home run leader with five, but is batting just .184 for the year.

UP NEXT

Radford will have the midweek off before closing out the regular season against Winthrop on May 6 and 7.

For the latest on Radford Athletics, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Highlander Happenings.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#5 Marissa Gagliano: SS; 5' 4"; Redshirt Sophomore; L/R

#22 Kayla Huffman: P; 5' 7"; Sophomore; R/R

#24 Hannah Medlam: OF; 5' 6"; Sophomore; L/R

#2 Abby Morrow: P; 5' 10"; Senior; R/R

#6 Summer Robinson: OF; 5' 3"; Senior; R/R

#38 Maggie Rowe: C; 5' 4"; Junior; R/R

#3 Hunter Mundy: 3B; 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R

#13 Sofia Tapia: OF; 5' 3"; Freshman; L/L

#11 Brittany Wratchford: INF; 5' 4"; Senior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#5 Marissa Gagliano
: 5' 4"; Redshirt Sophomore; L/R
: SS

#22 Kayla Huffman
: 5' 7"; Sophomore; R/R
: P

#24 Hannah Medlam
: 5' 6"; Sophomore; L/R
: OF

#2 Abby Morrow
: 5' 10"; Senior; R/R
: P

#6 Summer Robinson
: 5' 3"; Senior; R/R
: OF

#38 Maggie Rowe
: 5' 4"; Junior; R/R
: C

#3 Hunter Mundy
: 5' 5"; Freshman; R/R
: 3B

#13 Sofia Tapia
: 5' 3"; Freshman; L/L
: OF

#11 Brittany Wratchford
: 5' 4"; Senior; R/R
: INF