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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
will harless
Radford Athletics Communications
12
Winner Radford RAD 1-0
2
N.C. Central NCCU 0-1
Winner
Radford RAD
1-0
12
Final
2
N.C. Central NCCU
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Radford RAD 1 0 1 0 0 4 1 3 2 12 17 0
N.C. Central NCCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 5 2

W: Donovan, Brandon (1-0) L: MILLER,R. (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST, DONOVAN’S DOMINANCE LEAD RADFORD TO OPENING DAY WIN

DURHAM, N.C. – Redshirt senior Brandon Donovan had a career-high 11 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings, and Radford's offense exploded for 10 runs in the final four innings on Friday evening to defeat North Carolina Central, 12-2, on Opening Day at Durham Athletic Park.
 
The win is the first for Highlander head coach Karl Kuhn, who was coaching his first game at the helm of the Radford baseball program.
 
Radford (1-0) got on the board early through a J.D. Mundy RBI single and never looked back. The Highlanders added a run off a balk in the third inning before the late-inning fireworks at the plate saw Radford cross home plate 10 more times.
 
Donovan, came out firing in his first career Opening Day start. The Pittsburgh native retired 16 of the first 17 hitters he faced, including a stretch of 14 straight, with all 11 of his strikeouts coming in the first five innings. Donovan struck out the side in both the second and fourth inning as part of his stretch of consecutive batters sat down.
 
The Highlanders broke the game open in the sixth inning, giving Donovan more than enough run support in the final stretch. After a dropped fly ball off the bat of Jimmy Goldsmith extended the lead to 3-0 and knocked NCCU (0-1) starter Ryan Miller out of the game, Radford got consecutive hits from its top of the order in Colby Higgerson, Garrett Matheney and Will Harless. Higgerson had a two-run single and Harless hit and RBI double, with Matheny also singling in between those at-bats.
 
 
Goldsmith added his second RBI of the contest on a groundout that plated David Bryant in the seventh inning before the Highlanders added three in the eighth and two more in the ninth.
 
A two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh got NCCU on the board, but Colin Reid came into the game in relief of Donovan and closed the door in the inning, getting pinch hitter Luis DeLeon to strike out swinging.
 
Harless started the eighth-inning scoring by crushing a solo home run off the warehouse beyond the fence in right-center. Mundy reached on a bunt single and Bryant walked, with both scoring on a Straton Podaras double – one of three doubles in the game for the Highlanders' catcher. Radford plated its two ninth-inning runs on RBI singles from Higgerson and Harless.
 
Reid worked around a walk to throw a scoreless eighth and Austin Gerber threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the 10th Opening Day win in program history.
 
STAT OF THE DAY
Four different Highlanders reached base three times or more, including Higgerson and Mundy, who have extended their on-base streaks to 22 games. Mundy's hit streak stands at 17 games. Podaras went 4-for-4 with three doubles, while Harless reached base a game-high five times (three hits, two walks).
 
TWEET OF THE GAME
 
 
QUOTABLE
"I know with the box score showing that we had a tremendous day on offense, which we did and I'm very proud of," head coach Karl Kuhn said. "The story of the game for us was the quality start by Brandon Donovan, the one walk on the day by our pitching staff and no errors on defense. That is going to be the recipe for winning baseball and I'm very proud of the way our team handled themselves today. We played a complete game and that is what you strive to do in college baseball. So for that I'm very proud of our young men and looking forward to competing again tomorrow."

UP NEXT
The Highlanders and Eagles meet for the second game of the three-game set on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m., with redshirt senior Ryan Sande scheduled to take the hill for Radford.
 
FOLLOW HIGHLANDER BASEBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on the Radford baseball team visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordBaseball on Twitter, 'radfordbaseball' Instagram or Radford Baseball on Facebook.
 
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