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Radford University Athletics

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Wise-20170429
Radford Athletics Communications
3
VMI VMI 18-24
9
Winner Radford RAD 17-24
VMI VMI
18-24
3
Final
9
Radford RAD
17-24
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
VMI VMI 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 9 1
Radford RAD 2 2 1 1 3 0 0 0 X 9 11 0

W: Hrbek, Danny (3-4) L: Brandon Barbery (0-8) S: Gerber, Austin (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD TALLIES NINE RUNS ON 11 HITS TO EVEN SERIES VS. VMI



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 9, VMI 3
  • Records: Highlanders (17-24) | Keydets (18-23)
  • Location: Carter Stadium | Radford, Va.
 
RADFORD, Va. – On a day in which the Radford baseball program saw its stadium of six years named Williams Field at Carter Memorial Stadium, the Highlanders scored in the first five innings on their way to a 9-3 victory over VMI to even the series Saturday afternoon.
 
The Highlanders' offensive attack was paced by a 3 for 4 effort with three runs scored and three RBIs from Luke Wise. Radford finished with 11 hits, marking the 16th game with double-digit hits on the season.
 
Radford starter Danny Hrbek set the tone early as the Highlander infield turned a beautiful 3-4-1 double play to retire the Keydets in the top of the first.
 
Adam Whitacre led off the bottom half of the inning with a single to left-center, scoring on a Hrbek triple down the right field line. The triple was the third on the season for the senior, giving him 13 in his career, needing only one to match the program record for career triples.
 
The Highlander hot start continued one pitch later as Jonathan Gonzalez ripped a first pitch double off the right-center field wall as Hrbek walked home for the early 2-0 lead.
 
VMI answered in the second as singles by Matt Pita and Jake Huggins put runners on the corners. Matt Dunlevy put the Keydets on the board with sacrifice fly to left field.
 
The one-run lead was short as Mason Scoville led off the second with a seven-pitch walk. Following the walk, Luke Wise blasted a 0-2 breaking ball over the center field wall that kept carrying on the humid day in the New River Valley. The home run came after two fouled bunt attempts by Wise, marking the second time he has achieved that feat in his career.
 
Hrbek settled into a groove, allowing only two hits over the next three frames, while the Highlanders padded two more runs on its lead.
 
Gonzalez led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run to left-center field for his ninth round-tripper on the season. Radford's second run came after Wise led off the bottom of the fourth with a bunt single, advancing to second on a balk and third on a Whitacre sac bunt. Wise scored on a Kyle Butler single up the middle, extending the Radford lead to 6-1.
 
The final two Radford runs came in the bottom of the fifth with two outs. Clayton Baine kept the inning alive with a single up the middle and Mason Scoville followed with a hit by pitch.
 
Looking for his third hit in three at bats, Wise lined a first pitch single into center field to score Baine easily. Pita's throw from center to nab Scoville at third base skipped into the VMI dugout, allowing him to score for the Highlanders ninth run of the contest.
 
Hrbek allowed a leadoff home run to Collin Fleischer to open the sixth, but retired the next two batters. With a seven-run lead and a growing pitch count, Radford decided to go to its bullpen to save Hrbek for his final three Big South starts.
 
Andrew Nardi made his first relief appearance of the season as Radford's Tuesday game was rained out. Nardi allowed three consecutive singles as Peyton Maddox plated the second run of the inning on a single to center field. VMI proceeded to load the bases on a Josh Hollifield walk.
 
The bases loaded jam forced the Highlanders to make another pitching change as Austin Gerber needed only three pitches to force a fly out to end the inning, keeping the 9-3 lead intact.
 
Performing incredibly well in tense situations all season, Gerber continued his dominance out of the Radford bullpen, allowing only a hit and walk in 3.1 innings of relief for his first collegiate save.
 
After Radford jumped on VMI starter Brandon Barbery for nine runs on 10 hits, the Keydets' bullpen held the Highlanders to only one hit over the final three innings.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Win: Danny Hrbek (3-4) (5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)
  • Loss: Brandon Barbery (0-8) (4.2 IP, 10 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 6 K)
  • Save: Austin Gerber (1) (3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K)
  • The win by Hrbek was his first since March 25, improving to 2-1 at home.
  • In his last 10.1 innings out of the bullpen, Gerber has only surrendered one run and two hits.
  • The freshman lowered his ERA to 3.11.
  • Luke Wise collected his third three-hit game on the season. All three have come at home.
  • The three-RBI game is his second on the season.
  • Adam Whitacre and Jonathan Gonzalez finished with two hits each.
  • Gonzalez improved his hit streak to eight games, finishing with two RBIs in the win.
  • Radford swiped four-plus bases for the second time in the series.
  • The Highlanders are 9 for 11 in the series.
  • The win snapped Radford's five-game losing streak, giving the Highlanders their first home win since March 28 and first in April.

QUOTABLE
  • "[Austin] Gerber has a pitch that is really good and hitters have had a tough time with it this season. Even when he has runners on or gets behind in counts, his ability to use that pitch has got us out of jams. Luke Wise played well-rounded game today. He had a good approach at the plate and played a really strong game defensively. Our infield started to move their feet more on defense. Today was just a neat game to watch." ~ Radford head coach Joe Raccuia

ON DECK
  • Radford and VMI will meet in the rubber matchup Sunday afternoon, changing venues for the matinee. The action is slated for a 2 p.m. start at Gray-Minor Stadium in Lexington, Va.
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