RADFORD, Va. – It was
Tyler Kehoe's turn to play hero for the Radford baseball program as the Highlanders walked off Big South foe Winthrop, 9-8 in a crucial conference victory inside Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium on Friday evening.
The win was an important one for a Radford group that is looking to make its first Big South Tournament since the 2019 campaign. The Highlanders improved to 11-8 in conference play and are now in a three-way tie for third place in the Big South.
More importantly, Radford is now four games up on seventh-place UNC Asheville who sits at 7-12 in conference action with just five Big South contests to go. The Bulldogs will enter tomorrow down 16-4 in the top of the sixth in a game that couldn't be finished on Friday night due to inclement weather. The top six teams in the conference advance to the Big South tournament.
One more Highlander victory or another UNC Asheville loss will advance Radford to its first post season appearance in six years.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Radford – 9, Winthrop – 8
LOCATION: Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium (Radford, Virginia)
RECORDS: Radford 25-23 (11-8 Big South), Winthrop 27-23 (11-8 Big South)
THE BREAKDOWN
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Breckin Nace helped pace the Radford attack with a 2-for-4 evening at the dish that included two home runs, two runs batted in and two runs scored. The dingers were his third and fourth of the season.
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Tyler Sparrer also continued his standout year with a 1-for-3 effort. His night featured a home run of his own to go with three RBI, one run and a base on balls. The strong performance gave him 40 runs batted in and counting for the year.
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Mason Self also added two RBI off a 1-for-4 showing.
- To go with being the hero,
Tyler Kehoe did a little bit of everything with a 2-for-4 outing that included the game-winning RBI to go with a base on balls.
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Brady Powell made his only at-bat of the night count in a big way as he went a perfect 1-for-1 with his first dinger as a Highlander.
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Eli Hudgins finished with a game-best three runs scored off a 2-for-3 performance. He also drew a walk and stolen a base in the win.
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Hunter Keen (1-for-5),
James Ward (1-for-4, two runs scored, one base on balls) and
Noah Toole (1-for-3, one walk) all chipped in on offense as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Winthrop jumped out early with three runs in the top of the first to take a 3-0 edge.
- Radford wasn't having any of that as the Highlanders responded right back with two runs in the top of the second and another four in the third to take the lead at 6-2.
- Self knocked a two-RBI single to left to plate Hudgins and Ward in the second, which was followed by a solo shot by Nace and a three-run bomb by Sparrer in the third to give Radford the 6-2 advantage.
- The Eagles started to fight back with a single run in the top of the fifth to make it a 6-4 game.
- The Highlanders once again had an answer with Nace's second homer of the night, another solo shot, to push the Radford lead back to 7-4.
- Winthrop tied things up with a three-run top of the eighth, but once again Radford was down for the fight as Powell blasted a solo home run to give the Highlanders the lead again at 8-7.
- The Eagles were able to scrape a run across in the top of the ninth, but it only set up for Kehoe's heroics as he blasted a single down the right field line that easily scored Hudgins from second to give the Highlanders the thrilling 9-8, walk off victory.
NEXT UP
Radford and Winthrop will get right back to it with game two of the series on Saturday, May 10. First pitch is set for 6 PM ET from Sherman Carter Memorial Stadium and admission is free of charge. The conference clash will also
be played in front of a national audience on ESPN+.
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