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Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
BradyPowell
9
Bucknell BUCKNE~1 0-5
11
Winner Radford RAD 5-1
Bucknell BUCKNE~1
0-5
9
Final
11
Radford RAD
5-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Bucknell BUCKNE~1 2 0 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 0 9 14 2
Radford RAD 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 3 0 2 11 15 0

W: Lefevers, Matthew (2-0) L: Tyler Hawkins (0-1)

4
Winner Bucknell BUCKNE~1 1-5
1
Radford RAD 5-2
Winner
Bucknell BUCKNE~1
1-5
4
Final
1
Radford RAD
5-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Bucknell BUCKNE~1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 9 3
Radford RAD 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 0

W: Brady Hoar (1-1) L: Steinhaus, Andrew (1-1) S: Hadley Maxwell (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Resilient Effort Lifts Highlanders to Doubleheader Split and Series Victory Over Bucknell

RADFORD, Va. –The Radford baseball program was resilient using a major comeback in their first game of a doubleheader with Bucknell Saturday afternoon to take their second straight series to open the 2026 campaign. Brady Powell's walk-off home run was the heroic shot of the first game as the Highlanders won 11-9 in ten innings before eventually falling in game two 4-1.
 
GAME ONE
The Highlanders showed grit in the first game of the day, coming back from not one but multiple punches tying their season high for runs in a single game. The Bison struck early, giving Radford their first deficit of the day with a two-run homer in the first to go ahead 2-0. Starter Corey Costello bounced back immediately, picking up a strikeout to keep it a 2-0 deficit.
 
After a scoreless bottom of the first, Costello worked around a leadoff walk to punch his first scoreless frame. The Bison were held scoreless again in the third, but the Highlanders had no responses just yet still trailing 2-0 through three.
 
After a lead off walk, the Bison struck for another two-run homer to double their lead to 4-0 in the  fourth. Costello bounced back again, retiring three straight to limit the damage. The Highlanders offense would finally catch fire in the fourth taking advantage of some Bucknell miscues.
 
After Breckin Nace led off the inning with a double, Brady Powell doubled as well to get Radford on the board. Luke Sullivan singled to score Powell, cutting the deficit to 4-2. After moving to second on a wild pitch, Powell came home off a Brady Whitacre single and a throwing error from the left fielder.
 
Whitacre would swipe third and would come home to tie the game off an RBI groundout by Noah Toole. Tied up 4-4, Bucknell punched back with their third two-run homer in the fifth to vault ahead 6-4.
 
The Highlanders kept firing offensively as Junho Son doubled to begin the fifth. Eli Hudgins singled to put a pair on the corners. Nace broke through with an RBI single to left to score Son and pull the game within one. Powell added another big hit of his own, doubling home Nace to tie the game at 6-6.
 
Joshua Milleville took over for Costello in the sixth and worked around a trio of hits to induce a double play that kept the game tied. The first three Bison reached in the seventh and a double brought two home to give Bucknell another lead at 8-6. Trey Ludy entered in a tough spot and shut things down with three straight groundouts.
 
The Bison would add one more in the eighth to go up 9-6 as the Highlanders readied a comeback in the bottom half. Mason Self ignited the game, dugout and scoreboard in the first pitch he saw of a pinch-hit appearance, crushing a homer to left that pulled the game within two.
 
After two outs, Radford continued to slug. Eli Hudgins crushed his own solo homer to right that made it a 9-8 game. The Highlanders would load the bases with two walks and an infield single all with two outs still in the frame. Luke Sullivan stepped up to the task and wore a pitch to tie the game for Radford at 9-9.
 
The rally ended there, but the pitching staff picked the team up in the ninth with three quick outs from Ludy and Will Palmer. Radford got a runner in scoring position in the bottom half, but with two outs the threat was quieted forcing extra innings for the first time this season.
 
Matthew Lefevers was perfect in the tenth inducing three straight outs to set up the offense. After Nace drew a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, Powell stepped up to the plate and played hero. Capping an incredibly resilient effort all game, Powell crushed a homer over the left field wall for the walk-off 11-9 victory.
 
GAME TWO
The second game of the night and weekend finale saw less theatrics compared to the first. Andrew Steinhaus began his start with a quick double play, but the offense would leave two stranded in scoring position in the bottom half to keep things scoreless.
 
After a triple to begin the second, Steinhaus was seemingly on his way to escape with a zero after back-to-back strikeouts. The Bison snuck in the run, though, on a two-out infield single for the 1-0 lead. Bucknell struck again in the third, using an RBI groundout to go ahead 2-0.
 
Steinhaus recovered for scoreless fourth and fifth innings, but the offense wasn't able to get rolling until the bottom of the fifth. After a throwing error put Parks on second, Joey Raccuia used a bunt to move Parks to third and Toole brought him home with a sacrifice fly for Radford's first run.
 
Down 2-1, the Bison added another in the sixth after a pitching change that brought in Nace. Nace bounced back tossing a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts, but Radford saw another scoring opportunity slip away in the bottom half of the inning. Self moved all the way to second on an error and a balk while Parks snuck a bloop double in to center to put two runners in scoring position. Bucknell escaped, though, with a strikeout and groundout that ended the inning.
 
Mason Hatcher entered to pitch the eighth and worked around a walk and hit by pitch to keep it a 3-1 game. Radford had another offensive chance as Hudgins singled and swiped second, but the big hit didn't come. Bucknell would add one more with a solo homer in the ninth before the Highlanders offense went down in order to end the game 4-1 in the Bison's favor.
 
UP NEXT
Radford will be right back at Carter Memorial Stadium for next weekend's series against Bryant. Action begins on Friday, February 27th at 3:00 p.m. in the first of three games all set to be streamed on ESPN+.
 
STAY SOCIAL WITH RADFORD BASEBALL
For all the latest on Radford Baseball, be sure to follow the team on X (@RadfordBaseball), Instagram (@radfordbaseball), and "like" the team's official Facebook Page (Radford Baseball).
 
#RiseAndDefend
 
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