RADFORD, Va. – It was another exciting day at the ballpark for the Radford baseball program as the Highlanders opened their series against Quinnipiac with a big 13-5 victory at Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Radford then went on a crazy comeback attempt in the second game of the day but just ran out of time as the squad dropped an 8-7 decision to the Bobcats to lead into Sunday's rubber match.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE – GAME ONE: Radford – 13, Quinnipiac – 5 (9 innings)
FINAL SCORE – GAME TWO: Radford – 7, Quinnipiac – 8 (9 innings)
LOCATION:  Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium (Radford, Virginia)
RECORDS: Radford 2-4 (0-0 Big South), Quinnipiac 2-4 (0-0 MAAC)
 
GAME ONE BREAKDOWN
- Breckin Nace made his first start of the season count in a big way with a 1-for-4 day at the dish that included a game-best three RBI and a run scored.
- The trio of Hunter Keen (2-for-4, two runs, two RBI, one walk), James Ward (2-for-5, one run, two RBI) and Brady Whitacre (2-for-4, one run, two RBI) accounted for 10 runs combined between coming around to score and driving teammates in.
- Jhonkeanu Perez continued his insane start to the season with another 3-for-4 performance. He added a game-best three runs scored to go with a RBI, a stolen base and a base on balls.
- Tyler Kehoe added a 1-for-4 opener that included a RBI, a run and a walk.
- Corbin Grantham also came around to score twice off a 1-for-4 effort. He too drove in a single RBI.
- Drew Stanley picked up the win on the mound, his first of the season, with 5.1 innings of work to go with six strikeouts.
- Ben Keefe fired a scoreless 1.2 innings in relief. He punched out two batters and didn't allow a single hit.
- Trey Ludy closed things out with two scoreless innings. He notched a single punch out to go against just one hit allowed.
- The Bobcats got on the board first with a run in the top of the first, but it was all Highlanders from that point on.
- Radford scored 10 unanswered runs with four in the first, one in the second and five more in the third to jump ahead 10-1.
- Quinnipiac would try to battle back with three runs in the top of the fifth and another in the sixth, but the Highlanders added three of their own in the bottom of the seventh to seal the 13-5 win.
- The 13 runs scored by Radford were its most in a contest since April 24, 2024. It was also the most runs put on the board by the Highlanders so far this season.
 
GAME TWO BREAKDOWN
- James Ward and Tyler Kehoe continued their strong outings into the second game. Ward hit 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored while Kehoe went a red-hot 4-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored.
- Jhonkeanu Perez stayed hot with a 2-for-5 effort. He came around to score once in the contest.
- Hunter Keen chipped in a 2-for-5 outing with one RBI and a run scored.
- Breckin Nace (1-for-4) and Eli Hudgins (1-for-4) also crossed the plate a single time each, respectively.
- Will Rice and Mason Hatcher combined to throw three innings of relief out of the pen. Rice went 1.1 innings with two strikeouts while Hatcher threw 1.2 innings to go with three punch outs.
- Quinnipiac jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead through the first two innings.
- Radford started to chip away with a run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 4-1 game.
- The fifth and sixth innings were identical with the Bobcats getting two runs in their at bats while the Highlanders countered with a run of their own as the contest was 8-3 heading into the seventh.
- That is when Radford made its move with two runs in both the seventh and eighth to get right back in it at 8-7.
- The Highlanders would load the bases with just one out in the bottom of the ninth, but the Bobcats were able to wiggle their way out of the jam to escape with the 8-7 victory.
 
NEXT UP
The series will be decided on Sunday as the two squads will meet up for the rubber match at 1 PM ET on February 23. Fans can follow along with the action with the live stats here.

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