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Ridgely-20170506
Radford Athletics Communications
13
Winner Radford RAD 19-24
2
UNC Asheville AVL 18-25
Winner
Radford RAD
19-24
13
Final
2
UNC Asheville AVL
18-25
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Radford RAD 0 1 0 3 3 1 0 1 4 13 13 0
UNC Asheville AVL 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 5 1

W: Ridgely, Zack (5-5) L: BROWN, Blake (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RIDGELY STRIKES OUT 13; RADFORD OFFENSE PLATES 13 RUNS



GAME INFORMATION
  • Score: Radford 13, UNC Asheville 2
  • Records: Highlanders (19-24, 7-9) | Bulldogs (18-25, 7-9)
  • Location: Greenwood Field | Asheville, N.C.
 
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The number 13 is known to many as an unlucky number, but if you ask the Radford baseball team, they will say otherwise as the Highlanders scored 13 runs on 13 hits in a 13-2 series opening win over UNC Asheville Saturday morning.
 
In a dominating performance on both sides of the baseball, Zack Ridgely turned in another career performance, this time striking out a career best 13 batters in 7.2 innings. Ridgely yielded only three hits in the performance, surrendering a solo home run in the seventh.
 
The 13 strikeouts mark the second time on the season the junior has punched out double-digit batters as Ridgely's previous career high of 11 came against Longwood on March 24.
 
Of the 13 hits, Spencer Horwitz provided four, going 4 for 5 on the day with three RBIs and two runs scored. The four-hit game is the second on the season for the freshman.
 
The first of Radford's 13 hits came with a bang as Jonathan Gonzalez lifted a 3-2 pitch over the left field fence for his 11th round tripper of the season to leadoff the second inning.
 
Ridgely punched out four batters over the next two frames, which led to his offense rewarding him with a three-run fourth inning.
 
Kyle Butler led off the fourth with a deep home run to left-center field, giving the Highlanders their ninth multi-home run game on the season as his second career round-tripper moved the lead to 2-0.
 
The Highlanders quickly put two runners on following the home run with a Danny Hrbek bunt single and a Gonzalez walk. Horwitz's first RBI on the day came via a single through the right side as Hrbek hustled home from second base.
 
Radford would go on to load the bases in the inning, forcing a Bulldog pitching change. New UNC Asheville pitcher Brandon Harris greeted Clayton Baine with a RBI hit by pitch to push the Radford lead to 4-0 with a three-run fourth inning.
 
Ridgely collected his third straight two-strikeout frame in the bottom half of the inning, settling into a groove after receiving a four-run cushion.
 
The Highlanders put up another three-run frame in the fifth with two outs. Gonzalez reached on a two-out hit by pitch, setting up the third Radford home run on the day as Horwitz launched a two-run shot to straight away center field, giving the frosh his third RBI on the day.
 
Following Anthony Miano reaching on a fielding error and Matt Roth walk, Baine singled down the left field line to plate Miano for his second RBI on the day, pushing the lead to 7-0 through five innings.
 
Radford added one more in the sixth inning, before being held scoreless in the seventh. Adam Whitacre led off the sixth with a hit by pitch, moving to second on a stolen base and third on a fly out. Hrbek provided the eighth run on a RBI single to center field.
 
Ridgely proceeded to punch out two batters in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Danny Wilson provided the only blemish on Ridgely's day with a leadoff home run in the seventh.
 
The Highlanders got the run back in the eighth as Whitacre reached base once again to leadoff an inning, collecting his first collegiate triple. Hrbek plated Whitacre on a RBI ground out to second base, pushing the lead back to eight runs.
 
After matching his career high in the seventh, Ridgely needed only one more strikeout for a new career best. The lefty came back out in the eighth, striking out the first two batters he faced, finishing his day two shy of matching Jim Abbott's 22-year old record of 15.
 
Entering the ninth inning with an eight-run lead, Radford's offense exploded for four runs on four hits. Horwitz led off the frame off the right-center field fence, moving to third on a wild pitch. Following two Radford outs, Baine put runners on the corners with his second hit by pitch.
 
Luke Wise provided Radford's fourth home run on the day and ninth in the last three games with a three-run blast to right field. The fourth run of the inning came as a Whitacre double set up a Butler RBI double to make the score 13-1.
 
UNC Asheville added its second run of the game in the ninth on a Kyle Carruthers' sacrifice fly.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Win: Zack Ridgely (5-5) (7.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 13 K)
  • Loss: Blake Brown (0-1) (3.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K)
  • Ridgely walked no batters for the sixth time on the season.
  • He has now struck out 72 batters in 77 innings on the season.
  • The win was the 14th of his career, moving into a four-way tie for 10th place in program history, while moving into 10th place all-time with 225 career innings.
  • The 13-strikeout performance gives him 181 in his career, moving into seventh in program history.
  • For the 18th time on the season, Radford collected double-digit hits, marking the fourth straight game.
  • All 13 runs were credited as a RBI.
  • The Highlanders have had 17 games on the season in which every run scored came via a RBI.
  • Connecting for four home runs on the day, Radford has nine games on the season with multi-home runs.
  • The four-home run game is the third on the season.
  • Radford has five games with double-figure RBIs, collecting 27 over the last two games.
  • Five Highlanders finished with multi-RBI games.
  • Spencer Horwitz finished with a 4 for 5 day and his third three-RBI game on the season.
  • Adam Whitacre, Kyle Butler and Danny Combined finished with two hits each at the top of the lineup.
  • Clayton Baine, Butler and Hrbek finished with two RBIs each.
  • Butler now has sixth multi-RBI games on the season, while Baine and Hrbek have four.
  • Jonathan Gonzalez and Whitacre scored three runs each. The three runs scored are a career best for Gonzalez, while matching a career best for Whitacre.
  • Gonzalez's second inning home run gives him 11 on the season and a team best 36 RBIs.
  • The 13 RBIs give Radford 205 on the season.
  • Radford swiped four bases for the sixth time on the season.
  • In the last four games, Radford has 13 stolen bases.
  • Over the last four games, Radford has scored 42 runs on 51 hits, tallying 39 RBIs.

QUOTABLE
  • "[Zack] Ridgely had really good fastball command today. He sunk the ball and pounded the zone. Offensively, we had a bunch of extra base hits up and down the order." ~ Radford head coach Joe Raccuia
 
ON DECK
  • The two foes will conclude the series on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at 10 a.m.
  • Impending inclement weather forced a Friday postponement and Saturday's scheduled doubleheader to actually be played on Sunday.
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