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Radford University Athletics

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Radford Athletics Communications
3
Radford RAD 12-21
6
Winner Winthrop WINTHROP 17-18
Radford RAD
12-21
3
Final
6
Winthrop WINTHROP
17-18
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Radford RAD 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 7 0
Winthrop WINTHROP 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 X 6 14 1

W: PAWELCZYK, N (4-4) L: Williams, Hunter (1-3)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD DROPS OPENER AT WINTHROP, 6-3

GAME INFORMATION
  • Winthrop 6, Radford 3
  • Records: Eagles (17-18, 9-4 Big South) | Highlanders (12-21, 4-9 Big South)
  • Location: The Winthrop Ballpark | Rock Hill, S.C.
                                      
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Despite two late runs, Radford was unable to battle back in the Friday night opener against Winthrop, falling 6-3 under the lights inside The Winthrop Ballpark. The Eagles held a 14-6 edge in the hit column as the two teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday.
 
Kyle Butler went 2 for 5 on the night as the lone Highlander to finish with a multi-hit game, extending his hit streak to eight straight and his on-base streak to 19 consecutive.
 
Winthrop struck first putting a pair of runners on the corners with two outs in the second. Alex Raines put the Eagles on the board with a RBI single down the right field line.
 
The Highlanders answered back as Colby Higgerson reached on a two-out walk and Spencer Horwitz followed with a single to right field. Two wild pitches from Winthrop starter Nate Pawelczyk allowed the runners to move into scoring position and Higgerson to score. Horwitz was left stranded as the Highlanders stranded four through the first four frames.
 
The knotted game didn't last long as another two-out base hit gave Winthrop the lead as a Dillion Morton double to right-center plated Mitch Spires for an early 2-1 lead.
 
After the second double in as many at bats for Tyler Halstead and a sacrifice bunt. Winthrop had a runner on third with one out. Following a strikeout, Austin Gerber came out of the Radford bullpen to relieve starter Hunter Williams.
 
Gerber forced a Jake Sullivan strikeout on four pitches and continued to deal in his relief outing. The sophomore retired four of the next five batters he faced as a leadoff double in the fifth was erased on a double play line out.
 
Halstead continued his night in the sixth inning with a two-run home run to left-center as his third hit of the night extended Winthrop's lead to 4-1.
 
The Eagles proceeded to collect two more RBI singles, pushing the lead to 6-1 with six hits off Gerber. Winthrop plated four runs on five hits in the inning that turned out to be key runs late in the game.
 
Cody Boone came out of the Radford bullpen to halt the Winthrop lineup, yielding only a hit in two innings of relief. The freshman has surrendered just a lone unearned run in his last 8.1 innings with only five hits allowed.
 
Radford was held to only three hits in the final four frames as Winthrop starter Nate Pawelczyk turned in a strong outing on the mound. The junior yielded only one run on three hits in seven strong, striking out eight.
 
The Highlanders plated two runs in the eighth as Higgerson reached on a single to short and Horwitz on a throwing error that allowed both runners to scoot into scoring position.
 
Radford's first run since the third came on a Matt Roth single to center field and the second of the frame came on a Straton Podaras base hit through the left side.
 
Stranding eight runners on base, Radford went 2 for 11 with Highlanders in scoring position and 3 for 19 with runners on in the 6-3 loss.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Win: Nate Pawelczyk (4-4) (7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K)
  • Loss: Hunter Williams (1-3) (3.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K)
  • Radford struck out 11 times; three straight games of double-digit strikeouts.
  • Kyle Butler's multi-hit game is his 14th on the season and his 12th two-hit game.
  • Colby Higgerson scored two of Radford's three runs.
  • Matt Roth's RBI in the eighth inning was his 11th in the last seven games.
  • Carlin Christian walked twice for the second time on the season, moving his on-base streak to 12 straight.
  • Radford's defense committed no errors for the 12th time on the season.
 
ON DECK
  • Radford and Winthrop conclude the series with a Saturday doubleheader. First pitch is slated for a 1 p.m. Game two will follow 45 minutes at the conclusion of the curtain raiser.
  • Game One: RHP Austin Ross (5-3, 3.74) vs. RHP Zach Peek (3-3, 4.38)
  • Game Two: RHP Ryan Sande (0-1, 3.60) vs. TBA
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