RADFORD, VA. — The Radford baseball team fought until the final out, but a late rally was not enough as the Highlanders fell to High Point 7-4 on Friday evening at Carter Memorial Stadium.
In the ninth inning, with Radford trailing 7-2, second baseman
Miles LeVere started the comeback efforts with a one-out walk. Center fielder
Zack Whitacre would follow up with a single, and another walk loaded the bases.
That set the stage for a two-run single from catcher
Garrett Pancione, making it a 7-4 ballgame. Third baseman
Bannon Brazell then drew a free pass to load the bases again, putting the winning run at the plate with two outs in the form of
Austin Stalker.
However, Stalker flew out to left field, ending the comeback efforts.
Radford (7-24, 0-8 Big South) was again led by Whitacre, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run. Left fielder
Julian Rojas also chipped in, blasting a solo home run in the sixth inning that put the Highlanders on the board. It was Rojas' second straight game with a home run.
Radford also got timely pitching from their bullpen. In the eighth inning, LHP
Gannon Kadlecik was able to maneuver out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out, recording three consecutive punchouts.
High Point (9-21, 3-8) got a quality start from Gus Hughes, who pitched seven innings of one-run ball and earned the win.
Dylan Howard was the tough-luck loser for Radford, going six strong and allowing three earned runs with five strikeouts.
KEY STATS
- RHP Landon Higgerson tossed a scoreless ninth inning in his 21st appearance of the season.
- As a team, Radford drew seven walks, including two from Tanner Barrs.
- With a single, Barrs now has a 10-game hitting streak.
UP NEXT
Radford will try to salvage a game from the series as they resume action Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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