RADFORD, Va. – The Radford baseball program suffered a 12-6 setback at the hands of Charleston Southern in the Big South series opener at Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium on Friday night.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 6, Charleston Southern – 12
LOCATION: Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium (Radford, Virginia)
RECORDS: RU 14-15 (3-4 Big South), CSU 15-12 (3-7 Big South)
 
THE BREAKDOWN
- Eight different Radford student-athletes finished with at least one hit in the contest.
- Hunter Keen continued his dominant stretch with a 2-for-5 evening that included three RBI, one double and a run scored. He has now pushed his hitting streak to 12 games and has posted multi-hit efforts in nine of those contests.
- James Ward (1-for-4, one run, one RBI), Eli Hudgins (1-for-3, one RBI) and Kyle Crisp (1-for-3, one run scored, one RBI) all knocked in a run batted in, respectively.
- Breckin Nace has quietly been one of the hardest hitters in the Big South to get out this season. The sophomore slugger went 1-for-3 at the dish with a run and two bases on balls. He is now hitting .369 on the year to go with an eye-popping .491 on-base percentage (tied for eighth overall in the conference).
- Cody Bradt (1-for-5) and Noah Toole (1-for-4) also crossed the plate a single time for the Highlanders.
- Jhonkeanu Perez (2-for-4, one walk) rounded out the Radford attack with two base knocks. Both of his hits went for doubles.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Charleston Southern got on the board first with two runs in the top of the second to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
- Radford responded with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame as Keen cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to give the Highlanders a 3-2 edge.
- The Buccaneers answered right back with four runs in the top of the third to retake a 6-3 advantage.
- The Highlanders weren't done and tied the game once again with a three-run bottom of the fifth to knot things at 6-6.
- Charleston Southern once again had a response with a six-run, top of the sixth to jump ahead 12-6.
- That is where the contest would finish as neither team could push a run across in the final 3.5 innings as the Buccaneers sealed the 12-6 win.
 
NEXT UP
Due to inclement weather set to hit the New River Valley on Sunday, fans and supporters will be treated to a special doubleheader on Saturday, April 5 inside Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium. First pitch is set for noon ET and both games will be played in front of a national audience on ESPN+. Admission to the twin bill is also free of charge.

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