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Radford University Athletics

Home Of The RadFord Highlanders RadFord Highlanders
Jeff Meade
Kirah Dandridge
3
ETSU ETSU 21-9
4
Winner Radford RAD 15-14
ETSU ETSU
21-9
3
Final
4
Radford RAD
15-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
ETSU ETSU 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 7 0
Radford RAD 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 X 4 13 2

W: Baker, Eli (1-0) L: Andrew Cotten (3-1) S: Howard, Hunter (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Highlanders Hold Off Buccaneers for Massive Mid-Week Win

RADFORD, Va. – The Radford Highlanders baseball team (16-15) added another stellar win to their resume, defeating East Tennessee State (21-9), 4-3, on Tuesday afternoon at Carter Memorial Stadium. A four-hit day for catcher Brady Whitacre and strong relief pitching the second half of the contest helped the Highlander get above .500 and beat another top 100 team in NCAA RPI rankings.

The Highlanders jumped after ETSU starter Derek McCarley to begin the game, getting back-to-back singles with Junho Son and Hunter Keen in the bottom of the first. Eli Hudgins grounded into a double play before Breckin Nace put Radford on top, hitting a line drive that went into right field to score Son and make it 1-0.

McCarley lasted just one inning, but Radford was ready for their next reliever. Noah Toole greeted the right-hander by hitting a solo home run to right field to start the bottom of the second, his third of the season that put Radford ahead 2-0. The lead was short lived though, as the Buccaneers got two runs back in the top of the third to make even the score up.

Eli Baker got himself into a world of trouble to start the fourth on the mound but magically carved his way out of it. The Buccaneers had the bases loaded with nobody out, but Baker got a strikeout and double play groundout to second base to get out of it. Baker would later earn credit for the win for his efforts. Radford got the lead back in the bottom of the inning, as Whitacre's one-out single set the table for Brooks Simpson to double into left field and make it a 3-2 game.

In the fifth, Toole came through again with his second RBI of the game. Nace was hit by a pitch and stole second, and with two outs, Toole drove a ball through the box to score Nace from second base to make it 4-2 through five.

A total of six relievers got the job done for the Highlanders, highlighted by Mason Self. The junior worked around a hit and error for a scoreless sixth, then got two flyouts to setup left-hander Jeff Meade to finish the seventh. Parker Noonan allowed a run in the eighth but kept ETSU from scoring the tying run, and Hunter Howard retired the Buccaneers in order in the ninth to slam the door for the save.

Whitacre's four hits were a career-high for the West Virginia native as a Highlander. Toole's two RBI led the team, and the sophomore now has six multi-RBI efforts on the season. Nace also stole multiple bases in a game for the first time in his career and now has six on the season.

UP NEXT
Radford goes on the road for the first time since March 24 and leaves the state of Virginia for the first time on March 15 this upcoming Friday, April 10, to begin a series at High Point. The first of a three-game set against one of the top teams in the Big South will begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be shown live 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).
 
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