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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
AbbyPeace
Rob Simmons
6
Winner Radford RAD 7-3
5
Dartmouth DART 0-2
Winner
Radford RAD
7-3
6
Final
5
Dartmouth DART
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Radford RAD 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 7 1
Dartmouth DART 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 5 12 1

W: Cooper, Morgan (2-2) L: Jensin Hall (0-1) S: Peace, Abby (3)

1
Radford RAD 7-4
10
Winner Georgia UGA 11-1
Radford RAD
7-4
1
Final
10
Georgia UGA
11-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Radford RAD 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 3
Georgia UGA 2 1 0 0 0 7 10 10 0

W: Howard (1-0) L: Peace, Abby (1-1) S: Backes (3)

Game Recap: Softball |

Thrilling Seventh-Inning Comeback Highlights Day Two at Georgia Classic

ATHENS, Ga. –The Radford softball program had an exciting pair of games in day two of the Georgia Classic. In the Highlanders first game, they used a six-run outburst in the seventh inning to take down Dartmouth before falling in six innings against #3 Georgia despite it being a two-run game entering the sixth.
 
Game 1
The Highlanders first game of the day became an absolute thriller after a quiet first six innings before an explosion of eight total runs of offense. Prior to that, the pitching combo of Chloe Greene and Morgan Cooper were solid tossing six innings allowing just one earned run.

That one earned run from the duo came in the second inning as the Big Green got a solo homer for the early 1-0 lead. Over Radford's first two offensive frames, the team had drawn a trio of walks but was held scoreless.

After Lexie Roberts singled and stole second to start the third, Radford's scoring threat wouldn't go any further as Dartmouth escaped the jam. Two solid offensive plays highlighted the bottom of the third as Abby Bossler caught a runner trying to stretch a single into a double. Dartmouth followed with a double to left center, but it was Roberts who had the strong throw home to nab the runner at the plate to keep things at 1-0.

Cooper took over pitching duties to start the fourth and the Big Green was able to scratch across an unearned run after leading off the inning with a fielding error. With Dartmouth up 2-0, Radford was sat down in order in the fifth and sixth innings as things began to look bleak.

Needing a late rally, the Highlanders got to work in the seventh. Amber Wolfe led things off with a double and Grace Bechtol entered to run for her. Emma Yates drew a pinch-hit walk, and after a throwing error by the pitcher Bechtol was able to score to make it a 2-1 deficit.

After Roberts stole second to put two runners into scoring position, Abby Wilson drove both Yates and Roberts home with a single to right that gave Radford its first lead of the day at 3-2. Rachel Smith followed with a single, forcing a Dartmouth pitching change.

Not done yet, Cassi Barbato drew a walk to load the bases. Freshman Amanda Lee provided a big hit as she singled up the middle to score Smith and Wilson for the 5-2 lead. Kari Shedrick added an infield single to load the bases back up, and Wolfe returned to bat for the second time in the inning and got a crucial RBI groundout that made it a 6-2 Radford lead.

Dartmouth itself would not go quietly in the bottom of the seventh. The first three batters reached base to quickly load the bases. A sacrifice fly made it a 6-3 game, forcing a Highlanders pitching change to bring Abby Peace in to try and nail down the save.

The heart of the Big Green lineup was due up and immediately provided two RBI hits to pull things to within 6-5 with just one out still in the inning. With the tying run on second and winning run on first, Peace buckled down. Peace dialed up a strikeout and induced a pop up that finalized the game as a 6-5 Radford victory.
 
Game 2
In Radford's second game of the day they faced one of the top teams in the nation and went toe-to-toe until the final inning where Georgia scored a flurry of runs. Abby Peace got the starting nod and did a solid job at keeping Radford in the game throughout.

The Highlanders didn't wait long to get across their first run of the game in the top of the first. Roberts drew a walk and got to second thanks to a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Barbato started her big game with a single that gave Radford the 1-0 advantage.

Georgia would strike for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the way. Georgia tacked on one more in the second after a pair of doubles, but Peace would settle in from there to not allow a run until the sixth inning.

Radford's offense got a single from Roberts in the third, but a double play erased that threat. Barbato recorded her second hit of the game to lead off the fourth but was left stranded on second. In the fifth, Emily Smith got a two-out single, but the Highlanders would remain scoreless.

After the first two batters reached to start the bottom of the fifth, Peace recorded three straight outs to escape the damage and keep things at 3-1. Barbato would record yet another hit with two outs in the sixth. Georgia struck for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth, however, for the shortened 10-1 final.

KEY STATS
  • Radford's big comeback against Dartmouth marked the team's first win after trailing in the seventh or later since April 12, 2023, when the team had a four-run seventh to walk off UNC Greensboro at home.
  • Barbato's three-hit game is a single game high for 2024, matching her career single-game high she recorded in her freshman season at Hampton in 2022.
  • With her third save today, Peace joins Greene in being just one of two Highlanders to record three or more saves in a season since 2019.
  • After the win against Dartmouth, Radford's 7-3 start through the first 10 games of the season marked their best start since the shortened 2020 season.
  • Wilson is up to a team-best 10 RBI this season, joining just two other Big South athletes in double digit totals so far.
     
UP NEXT
The Highlanders complete their weekend at the Annual Georgia Classic early tomorrow morning with one more round of action against (RV) Virginia Tech for a 10:00 a.m. first pitch.
 
Follow Softball on Social Media
For more information on the Radford softball team, follow @RadfordSoftball on Twitter and Instagram or Radford Softball on Facebook.
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