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Radford University Athletics

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Nardi-20180512
Radford Athletics Communications
4
Winner Radford RAD 22-27, 13-10 BSC
3
Liberty LIBERTY 26-23, 14-9 BSC
Winner
Radford RAD
22-27, 13-10 BSC
4
Final
3
Liberty LIBERTY
26-23, 14-9 BSC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Radford RAD 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 4 10 2
Liberty LIBERTY 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 7 1

W: Nardi, Andrew (3-3) L: BERTSCH, J. (4-4) S: Palmer, Kyle (4)

Game Recap: Baseball |

RADFORD EARNS SERIES WIN AT LIBERTY WITH 4-3 COMEBACK WIN

GAME INFORMATION
  • Radford 4, Liberty 3
  • Records: Highlanders (22-27, 13-10 Big South) | Flames (26-23, 14-9 Big South)
  • Location: Liberty Baseball Stadium | Lynchburg, Va.
                                      
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Radford scored three runs in the final three frames, battling back for a 4-3 victory to earn its first series win at Liberty since 2011 as the Highlanders collected their fifth straight Big South series win.
 
Trailing 3-1 after six frames, Radford's eighth comeback win of 2018 saw five of its 10 hits come in the final three frames. The Highlander bullpen chipped in with 4.2 scorless frames with only two hits allowed.
 
Finishing with three hits on the day, including two doubles, Straton Podaras provided the Highlanders first run of the game in the fourth inning on a double down the left field line with two outs.
 
Podaras opened the seventh with a bang, doubling off the center field wall for his second hit of the day and ninth multi-hit game. The sophomore moved over to third on a ground out as Will Harless stepped into the box with another RBI opportunity. Harless plated the run on a hard ground ball to shortstop for his fifth RBI of the series.
 
Garrett Matheny kept the inning alive with a single to third and Luke Wise followed with a single toward the right side. However, the Wise single hit off the foot of Matheny, resulting in the final out of the seventh.
 
Inching within one run in the seventh, Podaras struck again in the eighth as a Kyle Butler leadoff walk and Matt Roth's third base hit of the day put Highlanders on the corners. Following a failed squeeze bunt by Colby Higgerson, Podaras ripped a first pitch fastball into left field to knot the game at three runs.
 
Andrew Nardi took over in the fifth inning and proceeded to deal for the next 3.2 frames. Nardi limited Liberty to only two hits over the span and four base runners to collect his third win on the season.
 
Nardi's lights out performance gave the Highlanders a chance to win as they entered the ninth looking to avoid their eighth extra-inning affair of 2018.
 
The top of the ninth began as Harless reached via a walk and Matheny followed with a sacrifice bunt. Matheny's bunt dribbled in front of Liberty pitcher Jackson Bertsch, who fired toward second base in attempt to force out Harless. The throw sailed into center field as both runners moved into scoring position.
 
With the infield playing in and outfield standing at medium depth, Wise lifted the first pitch he faced into center field. The fly ball was deep enough to score Harless for the game-winning run.
 
Kyle Palmer closed out the ninth to earn his fourth save of the season, needing only 14 pitches to collect three outs, including Radford's second strikeout of the game.
 
Liberty looked to be in control early as they struck first in the opening inning as D.J. Artis reached on a Radford fielding error and Dylan Allen earned a two-out walk. A wild pitch allowed the two runners to move into scoring position.
 
Cam Locklear hit a ball up the middle that Higgerson made a play on, throwing to first after a spin move. Beating the throw at first, Locklear plated Artis for the RBI single, however Higgerson's throw bounced away from Spencer Horwitz. Radford's second error of the frame allowed Allen to score for the early 2-0 lead.
 
The Flames pushed their lead to three with an RBI ground out from Tyler Galazin in the bottom half of the third as Artis set the table with a walk and Tre Todd followed with a double.
 
Limiting the Liberty chances early in the game, Radford starter Hunter Williams worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fourth inning after the Flames put runners on with a triple and two outs. Williams forced a pop up to short, stranding three of Liberty's 10 runners on base.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Win: Andrew Nardi (3-3) (3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K)
  • Loss: Jackson Bertsch (4-4) (1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K)
  • Save: Kyle Palmer (4)
  • The Highlanders series win over the Flames is the first since 2015.
  • Radford has won its last three games in Lynchburg, taking a 5-4 win in 11 innings on April 4, 2017 in a game that counted as a non-conference matchup.
  • Radford's bullpen tossed 4.2 scoreless frames, yielding only two hits on the day.
  • In the first two games, Radford's bullpen has thrown 10.1 scoreless innings, allowing only six hits.
  • Radford outhit Liberty 10-7, totaling 19 hits in the series.
  • Three Highlanders finished with multi-hit games as Straton Podaras and Matt Roth finished with three-hit games.
  • Roth's multi-hit game gives the junior 16 on the season, while Podaras has nine on the season.
  • Driving in two runs, Podaras has four multi-RBI games and his two doubles match a career best. The two two-baggers give him eight on the season.
  • Luke Wise chipped in with two hits, marking his fifth two-hit game on the season.
  • Will Harless and Kyle Butler earned two walks each.
  • Liberty left 10 runners on base, stranding 21 in the first two games of the series.
  • Colby Higgerson saw his hitting streak end at 10 straight but improved his on-base streak to 11 consecutive with a walk.
  • Spencer Horwitz now owns the longest active Radford hit streak with nine straight.

ON DECK
  • Radford goes for its second straight Big South series sweep and first on the road since April 13-15, 2017 at Campbell on Sunday.
  • First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
  • The Highlanders will go for their first sweep of Liberty since April 23-25, 2004 in Radford.
  • Radford has only swept Liberty twice in the all-time series dating back to 1985 with both coming in the New River Valley.
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