Sunday, April 9
RADFORD
2:00 PM
Radford University
13-18, 0
3
vs
13
Liberty
19-11, 0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIBERTY | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 19 | 1 |
| Radford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 0 |
Photo by: Radford Athletics Communications
RADFORD UNABLE TO AVOID SWEEP; FALLS 13-3 TO LIBERTY
4/9/2017 8:00:00 PM | Baseball
Follow @RadfordBaseball
GAME INFORMATION
RADFORD, Va. – Radford was unable to avoid being swept on their home field for the first time since April 2016 as a seven-run fourth inning guided Liberty to a 13-3 sweeping victory as the Flames avenged Tuesday's extra inning loss to the Highlanders.
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Liberty pumped out 19 hits, using a seven-run fourth inning to blow the game wide open. Of the 19 hits, 15 came of the single variety.
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Radford starter Kyle Zurak stranded three runners in the first two innings, including two in scoring position in the second inning.
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The bottom half of the second saw Matt Roth line a two-out single to center field, later advancing on a wild pitch. Straton Podaras followed with a single to left as Roth rounded third, racing for home. Jake Barbee threw a bullet from left field to home plate on a line as Matt Allen made the tag on Roth.
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Zurak used a 5-4-3 double play to erase the first two batters in the top of the third. Fresh off the defensive gem, Barbee singled to center, advancing into scoring position on a wild pitch. Sammy Taormina gave Liberty the first run of the game on a RBI single.
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The Flames' big fourth inning started with a Will Shepherd leadoff home run to straight away center field. Liberty would go on the load the bases and Andrew Kowalo made the Highlanders pay with a grand slam to left field for the second home run of the inning.
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The inning saw the Flames bat around, tallying six hits. Also, providing RBIs in the inning, D.J. Artis and Taormina drove in runs via singles.
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Radford answered the seven-run inning with two of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Danny Hrbek led off the inning with a check swing bloop double down the left field line, later scoring on a Jonathan Gonzalez RBI double.
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The second run of the inning came on a throwing error by the Liberty shortstop as Cody Schneider reached on an infield single, but the errant throw past the first baseman allowed Gonzalez to score from second.
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After adding its ninth run in the fifth, Liberty plated three more runs in the seventh on a two-run double off the bat of Barbee and a one-run double from Taormina.
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Luke Wise's third hit of the game led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to right center field. Kyle Butler drove in the final Radford run with a single to left field.
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Swinging a hot bat throughout the series, Taormina drove in his fourth run of the game and eighth of the series on a single to right field in the ninth as the redshirt senior collected back-to-back games of four-RBIs.
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Butler collected his second hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth on a double down the left field line, but the Highlanders were unable to push across another run, dropping the series finale 13-3.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
ON DECK
GAME INFORMATION
- Score: Liberty 13, Radford 3
- Records: Flames (19-11, 7-2) | Highlanders (13-18, 3-6)
- Location: Radford Baseball Stadium | Radford, Va.
RADFORD, Va. – Radford was unable to avoid being swept on their home field for the first time since April 2016 as a seven-run fourth inning guided Liberty to a 13-3 sweeping victory as the Flames avenged Tuesday's extra inning loss to the Highlanders.
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Liberty pumped out 19 hits, using a seven-run fourth inning to blow the game wide open. Of the 19 hits, 15 came of the single variety.
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Radford starter Kyle Zurak stranded three runners in the first two innings, including two in scoring position in the second inning.
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The bottom half of the second saw Matt Roth line a two-out single to center field, later advancing on a wild pitch. Straton Podaras followed with a single to left as Roth rounded third, racing for home. Jake Barbee threw a bullet from left field to home plate on a line as Matt Allen made the tag on Roth.
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Zurak used a 5-4-3 double play to erase the first two batters in the top of the third. Fresh off the defensive gem, Barbee singled to center, advancing into scoring position on a wild pitch. Sammy Taormina gave Liberty the first run of the game on a RBI single.
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The Flames' big fourth inning started with a Will Shepherd leadoff home run to straight away center field. Liberty would go on the load the bases and Andrew Kowalo made the Highlanders pay with a grand slam to left field for the second home run of the inning.
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The inning saw the Flames bat around, tallying six hits. Also, providing RBIs in the inning, D.J. Artis and Taormina drove in runs via singles.
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Radford answered the seven-run inning with two of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Danny Hrbek led off the inning with a check swing bloop double down the left field line, later scoring on a Jonathan Gonzalez RBI double.
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The second run of the inning came on a throwing error by the Liberty shortstop as Cody Schneider reached on an infield single, but the errant throw past the first baseman allowed Gonzalez to score from second.
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After adding its ninth run in the fifth, Liberty plated three more runs in the seventh on a two-run double off the bat of Barbee and a one-run double from Taormina.
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Luke Wise's third hit of the game led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to right center field. Kyle Butler drove in the final Radford run with a single to left field.
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Swinging a hot bat throughout the series, Taormina drove in his fourth run of the game and eighth of the series on a single to right field in the ninth as the redshirt senior collected back-to-back games of four-RBIs.
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Butler collected his second hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth on a double down the left field line, but the Highlanders were unable to push across another run, dropping the series finale 13-3.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Win: Evan Mitchell (4-1) (5.0 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K)
- Loss: Kyle Zurak (3-1) (3.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K)
- A day removed from committing 10 errors in the doubleheader, Radford played its seventh error free game of the season.
- In the series, Liberty plated 28 runs on 35 hits. Radford scored eight runs on 27 hits.
- Liberty's 19 hits in the contest eclipsed its previous high of 14 in a 17-3 win at Charleston Southern on March 25 and allowed the Flames to sweep their first three-game series of 2017.
- The Highlanders left 21 runners on base, compared to Liberty's 30.
- Luke Wise led the Highlanders with a 3 for 5 performance, collecting his fifth multi-hit game of the season and second three-hit game.
- Wise went 5 for 10 at the plate with one run scored and double in the series.
- Kyle Butler was the only other Highlander with double-digit hits, finishing with his ninth two-hit game of the season and 12th multi-hit game.
- Radford tallied a season-high five doubles.
- The Highlanders now have 52 two-baggers on the season, which ranks seventh in the league.
- Six different Liberty batters collected multi-hit games, including four with three-plus hit games.
- John Brocklebank tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless and hitless baseball, the only Radford pitch to not allow a hit or run.
ON DECK
- Radford returns to action on Tuesday, hosting Virginia Tech for a 6 p.m. New River Valley Showdown.
- The Hokies collected a 9-7 victory in the first matchup on Feb. 28.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: MITCHELL, E. (4-1)
L: Zurak, Kyle (3-1)
Batting:
2B: BARBEE, J. 1 ; TAORMINA, S. 1
HR: KOWALO, A. 1 ; SHEPHERD, W. 1
RBI: ARTIS, D.J. 1 ; BARBEE, J. 3 ; TAORMINA, S. 4 ; KOWALO, A. 4 ; SHEPHERD, W. 1
SH: LOCKLEAR, C. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ARTIS, D.J. 2 ; MCDYRE, T. 2 ; HIGHFILL, B. 1 ; BARBEE, J. 2 ; TAORMINA, S. 1 ; GRABOWSKI, E 1 ; KOWALO, A. 1 ; SHEPHERD, W. 1 ; ALLEN, M. 1 ; LOCKLEAR, C. 1
SB: ARTIS, D.J. 1 ; SHEPHERD, W. 1
Batting:
2B: Wise, Luke 1 ; Butler, Kyle 1 ; Hrbek, Danny 1 ; Gonzalez, Jonathan 1 ; Horwitz, Spencer 1
RBI: Butler, Kyle 1 ; Gonzalez, Jonathan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Wise, Luke 1 ; Hrbek, Danny 1 ; Gonzalez, Jonathan 1
CS: Wise, Luke 1
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