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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
DelaCruz-20170410
Radford Athletics Communications
9
Winner Wake Forest WF 33-15
2
Radford RAD 20-27
Winner
Wake Forest WF
33-15
9
Final
2
Radford RAD
20-27
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Wake Forest WF 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 3 2 9 13 1
Radford RAD 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 6 1

W: Morgan McSweeney (3-1) L: Gerber, Austin (4-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD FALLS 9-2 TO NO. 16 WAKE FOREST



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: No. 16 Wake Forest 9, Radford 2
  • Records: Demon Deacons (33-15) | Highlanders (20-27)
  • Location: Carter Stadium | Radford, Va.
 
RADFORD, Va. – Trailing 2-0 through five innings, Radford tied the game up in the sixth inning, but No. 16 Wake Forest tallied seven unanswered runs to avoid their second straight loss with a 9-2 Wednesday night victory over the Highlanders.
 
Radford only managed six hits on the evening, including two doubles off the bat of Richard De la Cruz. Four other Highlanders finished with one hit each as they were held to only two hits in the first five innings.
 
Radford starter Andrew Nardi stranded two Demon Deacons on base in the first two innings, before Wake Forest cracked the score column in the third. The Demon Deacons loaded the bases on a throwing error and two singles, before Gavin Sheets lined a 2-2 pitch into left field to plate the first run of the game.
 
With bases still loaded, Nardi got a much-needed double play on a sacrifice fly as one run scored, but a strong throw from the warning track by Adam Whitacre to Matt Roth nabbed Stuart Fairchild at third.
 
The Highlanders quickly made an attempt to answer back as De la Cruz led off the third with a double to left-center and Straton Podaras was hit by a pitch. With two runners on base and no outs, Luke Wise placed a bunt down the third base line, almost beating the throw on the sac bunt.
 
Radford was unable to take advantage of the runners in scoring position as Whitacre grounded out to the pitcher and Kyle Butler grounded out to third base.
 
After being retiring the Highlanders in order in the fourth and fifth innings, Wake Forest starter John McCarren was lifted, yielding only two hits with five strikeouts in his second start on the season.
 
Bobby Hearn was greeted with a Wise double down the right field line. Looking for another sac bunt, Whitacre popped the bunt attempt up to Hearn, who fired to second base in attempt to double up Wise. The throw sailed into shallow center field as Wise scooted into third.
 
The throwing error set up a Butler RBI ground out to third as the Highlanders inched within one run. Danny Hrbek followed with a long home run to right field for his first on the season to tie the game at two.
 
Wake Forest answered with a two-out two-run home run from Fairchild in the seventh, regaining a 4-2 lead.
 
The Demon Deacons brought Morgan McSweeney on in relief of Hearn in the seventh as Jonathan Gonzalez greeted McSweeney with a leadoff single to center field. Gonzalez was retired on a fielders' choice off the bat of Roth, but the Highlanders quickly put two runners in scoring position as De la Cruz collected his second double of the game.
 
Runners standing on second and third for the second time in the game resulted in no runs for the Highlanders as Podaras struck out and Roth was caught stealing home.
 
The missed opportunity came back to bite Radford as Wake Forest scored five more runs on a pair of home runs and two bases loaded walks as the No. 16 Demon Deacons avoided dropping their second straight game to a Big South foe with a 9-2 victory.  
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Win: Morgan McSweeney (3-1) (1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K)
  • Loss: Austin Gerber (4-2) (1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K)
  • It wasn't until the sixth inning that Radford pitchers recorded a strikeout as Gerber punched out two batters in his first inning of work.
  • Trey Alderman worked two innings of two-hit baseball in relief of Andrew Nardi.
  • After collecting double-digit hits in the last six games, Radford finished with six hits.
  • Richard De la Cruz finished with his seventh multi-hit game on the season, increasing his doubles mark to nine with seven coming in non-conference play.
  • The two doubles mark the sixth time on the season a player has collected two two-baggers in a game this season.
  • Danny Hrbek' sixth inning home run was the sixth of his career and the 197th hit of his career.
  • Hrbek's last home run came May 19, 2016 against UNC Asheville.
  • Kyle Butler's RBI was his 26th on the season and the 35th of his career.
  • Swiping 21 bases over the last eight games, Radford was held without a stolen base.
  • Radford has hit 13 home runs over its last seven games.
  • Jake Mueller and Stuart Fairchild finished with three hits each, while Fairchild drove in three runs.
  • Bruce Steel and Ben Breazeale finished with two RBIs apiece for the Demon Deacons.

ON DECK
  • Radford will now play six straight Big South games at home, welcoming High Point into town on Friday for a three-game weekend series starting at 6:30 p.m.
  • High Point leads the all-time series 26-21, sweeping the Highlanders in 2016.
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