ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Radford baseball program took another important step in making its first Big South Tournament since 2019 with a crucial 9-6 win over conference foe UNC Asheville in the series-finale at Greenwood Baseball Field on Sunday.
To go with being the Highlanders third straight conference series victory in a row, the win also improved Radford to 10-8 in Big South play. The Highlanders now find themselves three games up on the Bulldogs for the final spot in the six-team, conference championship with just six Big South games left on the schedule.
Overall, Radford is tied for fourth in the conference standings with series at Winthrop (third, 11-7 in Big South play) and at Longwood (ninth, 4-14) left on the docket.
Not to be overshadowed, the win was also the 23rd of the season, which matched the 2021 squad for most victories in a single campaign in recent memory. One more win and the Highlanders will post the most victories in a year since 2019, the last time the group made the post season.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 9, UNC Asheville – 6
LOCATION: Greenwood Baseball Field (Asheville, North Carolina)
RECORDS: Radford 23-21 (10-8), UNCA 14-27 (7-11)
THE BREAKDOWN
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Eli Hudgins (2-for-4, two runs scored, two stolen bases, one double) and
Tyler Sparrer (1-for-5, one steal) helped lead the Highlander attack with two runs batted in apiece, respectively.
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Breckin Nace (2-for-3, two runs, two walks),
Tyler Kehoe (1-for-4, two runs scored) and
Corbin Grantham (2-for-5, one swiped bag) also chipped in a RBI apiece.
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Hunter Keen (1-for-4, one walk),
James Ward (1-for-5, one double) and
Noah Toole (one walk) all came around to score a single time.
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Jhonkeanu Perez (1-for-4) also finished with a base knock.
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Jaxon Kehoe picked up his second win of the season with 0.1 scoreless innings of work.
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Matthew Lefevers got the start and allowed just three hits and one earned run to go with one strikeout over his three frames.
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Mason Self also fired a scoreless inning of the pen.
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Andrew Steinhaus closed things out with a scoreless 1.2 innings to seal the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Once again, the Highlanders struck right away in the top of the first as Sparrer drove a single out to right center to bring around Nace and Keen to give Radford the early 2-0 edge.
- The road squad would add three more runs in the top of the third off a two-RBI double by Hudgins which was followed by a RBI sacrifice fly by Kehoe to give the Highlanders a commanding 5-0 advantage.
- The two sides took turns scoring throughout the third and fifth innings. UNC Asheville tried to respond back with a run in the bottom of the third to make it a 5-1 game.
- Radford pushed another run across in the top of the fourth but was countered by two Bulldog runs in the bottom half of the frame to half the lead at 6-3.
- The Highlanders answered right back with a two-run, top of the fifth as Radford took advantage of some UNC Asheville mistakes. Hudgins scored off a fielding error and Kehoe came around to score off a wild pitch to push the lead back to 8-3.
- The Bulldogs got another run in the bottom of the inning to try to get back in it at 8-4.
- Grantham then added an insurance run with a RBI single to left in the top of the seventh to make it a 9-4 contest.
- UNC Asheveille would scrape across a run in both the bottom of the seventh and eighth, but by then the damage was already done as the Highlanders sealed the 9-6 win.
NEXT UP
The Highlanders return home for a non-conference, mid-week showdown against James Madison on Tuesday, April 29 at Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium. The game was moved up from its originally scheduled date that was later in the year. First pitch is set for 5 PM ET and the contest will be
played in front of a national audience on ESPN+. Admission is also free of charge.
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