RADFORD, Va. — The Presbyterian Blue hose used a late surge to break open a competitive game as they downed Radford 17-3 on Thursday night at Carter Memorial Stadium.
Center fielder
Zack Whitacre got the scoring started for Radford (9-44, 1-24 Big South) right off the bat, as he launched a home run on the first pitch he saw leading off the bottom of the first inning. It was the first leadoff home run by a Highlander since his teammate
Cameron Pittman did so against Holy Cross on Mar. 7, 2022.
For the evening, Whitacre was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Presbyterian (20-33, 11-14) would strike back, chasing Highlanders' starter
Zack Mallia out of the game in the third inning. The Blue Hose took a 4-1 into the bottom of the fifth when the home mounted a rally.
After a one-out double by right fielder
Paul Moore, second baseman
Sully Tibbs hit a two-bagger of his own to drive in Moore. First baseman
Ryan Gilmore would then plate Tibbs with an RBI groundout to make it 4-3.
Moore collected three hits on the night, marking a career-high for the senior.
However, the Blue Hose would take control in the final innings, scoring the last 12 runs of the ballgame.
Presbyterian starter
Dylan Howard was the winning pitcher, tossing seven innings and collecting nine strikeouts with three earned runs. Mallia took the loss for Radford, while Tanner Smith earned the save for the Blue Hose.
UP NEXT
The two teams will meet again for game two of the series on Friday at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Follow Radford Baseball on Social Media
For more updates on Radford Baseball, follow @RadfordBaseball on Twitter, 'radfordbaseball' on Instagram, or like Radford Baseball on Facebook.
