RADFORD, Va. - The Radford Baseball team evened the series against Gardner-Webb with a fifth inning rally pushing the Highlanders to an 8-4 victory on Saturday evening at Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium.

The Runnin' Bulldogs would get themselves on the scoreboard early in today's game scoring a pair of runs to take the 2-0 lead heading to the second. However, the Highlanders would get one back in the second after Zack Whitacre was able to double to left center and find home after a perfectly executed double steal timing play where Whitacre scored before Breckin Nace was caught stealing to make it a 2-1 game.

Gardner-Webb would add a run in the third and in the fourth to give themselves a three-run lead, but it would be their last two runs of the night. The Highlanders would respond with a five-run rally in the fifth to take the lead. A single to right field by none other than Cameron Pittman would drive in Breckin Nace who was waiting on third and Brady Whitacre on second to chip away at the Runnin' Bulldogs lead. A single to left field by Conner Butler would bring in Gavin Troutman for the game tying run and Pittman would advance to second. Carson Bell would quickly follow up with a double to left center to score Pittman and Butler for the pair of runs and giving the Highlanders the 6-4 lead.

With bases loaded for the Highlanders in the seventh, Butler would single to right field to open the opportunity for Brady Whitacre to reach home and give Radford the three-run lead. The final run for the Highlanders would come from a Zack Whitacre sacrifice fly to score Troutman and give the Highlanders an 8-4 lead heading into the eighth. Drew Stanley, who entered in the sixth, would close out the game allowing no hits and no runs and recording five strikeouts in his 4 innings of work to cement the win for the Highlanders to even the series. 

NOTABLES  

• With a single run scored by Cameron Pittman and Conner Butler each, they are still both tied leading the Highlanders for most runs with 29. 

• Brady Whitacre recorded a game-high of two runs scored in tonight's game. Gavin Troutman also tied his game-high of two runs in tonight's game 

• Drew Stanley recorded his first career save in tonight's game against Gardner-Webb. 

UP NEXT   
The Highlanders will face Gardner-Webb for the third and final time at Carter Memorial for game three of the conference series. Game three will be played tomorrow on Sunday, Apr. 28. and is set for a 1 P.M. start and will be streamed on ESPN+. 
 
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