Radford University’s Abby Morrow (right), along with Kayla Huffman and Brittany Wratchford were honored prior to the start of Friday’s softball game and played their last regular season game in Radford.
It was an all-around low scoring afternoon for the Radford softball team, as they won the series and first game of the doubleheader, 2-1, but fell in the series finale 4-2 on Saturday at the Radford Softball Stadium.
Radford scored all the offense it needed in the first inning of Game 1 as Kayla Huffman, who was honored on Friday night, picked up her sixth complete game and 10th win of the season. She only allowed one run on five hits, with no walks and three strikeouts. Radford picked up a 2-1 win over Presbyterian.
The Highlanders began the game on fire as the first four batters made it to second base. Marissa Gagliano led off the game with a double to left field. Tapia followed that up with a double of her own that scored Gagliano and gave Radford a 1-0 edge. Talia Douglas hit a ground ball that got past the second baseman and into the outfield for the Highlander’s third double of the game. The double plated Tapia for a 2-0 Radford lead. The fourth batter, Hannah Medlam reached on a dropped fly ball, but couldn’t make it any further as two outs ended the inning.
Presbyterian cut the lead in half as Ansley Wilbanks drove in Chelsea Lyons – who reached with a single and stole second – with a blooper to left field in the third inning.
That’s all the offense either team could get, but Radford was able to get a few runners to reach with a four more base hits.
However, after the third inning, it was the Huffman show. She finished the last four innings with only one hit allowed and it came in the seventh inning with two outs. Douglas made a nice one-handed play at the hot corner that ended the game with the go-ahead run at second.
The play of the game happened in the sixth inning with the tying run on third base for Presbyterian and one out. Macy Hyatt hit a fly ball to left field that Tapia caught. As soon as the catch was made, Jonnie Petree tagged up and headed for home. Tapia fired a bullet that beat Petree by three steps, ended the inning and preserved the lead.
Radford had seven hits with six different players recording at least one.Tapia had a 2-for-3 game with a run scored and an RBI. It was the sophomore’s 12th multi-hit game of the season and 17th multi-hit game of the year.
Douglas had the other Highlander RBI and also contributed with a hit. Three Highlanders had doubles, and those three players batted at the top of the order. Jonnie Petree had the lone multi-hit game for the Blue Hose. The win gave the Highlanders nine straight, which is the longest of the season.
The Blue Hose middle of the lineup was the kryptonite for Radford in game two of the doubleheader. Hyatt and Anderson had four of the seven hits with all four RBIs and two runs scored.
Presbyterian took an early 1-0 lead with an Anderson single that scored Petree from third. Then Hyatt hit a two-run home run in the third inning for her second hit of the day. The two-run shot gave the Blue Hose a 3-0 lead.
The relentless Highlanders have been down before but have clawed their way back into just about every game they have fallen behind in. They did the same this time around and it came in the fourth inning all with two outs.
Maggie Rowe doubled down the left field line for the Highlanders second hit of the game. The next batter, Hunter Mundy tattooed the first pitch she saw into left field. The low line drive had enough steam on it to get out of the yard and cut the PC lead to one run. However, a pop out to Petree at second ended the Radford momentum.
Just as the Highlanders climbed their way back into it, the Blue Hose increased their lead in the top of the sixth. Anderson, with her third hit of the afternoon, also scored her first run of the game with a solo home run to left field. The solo shot made it a 4-2 game.
With their backs against the wall, the Highlanders made it close in the seventh. Marissa Yow delivered a one-out hit to get things started. Brianna Mills ripped a ball to the hot corner, but the line drive found its way into the glove of Hyatt. With two outs in the inning, the sixth pitch that Callie Morgan saw plunked her and placed the tying run on first.
Gagliano hit the first pitch of her at-bat down the left field line, but the Chelsea Lyons got to the ball quickly and caused pinch runner Tyra Byrd to stay put at third. Now with two outs and the go-ahead run on first, Sofia Tapia was up.
She hit a ball back up the middle, but the Blue Hose shortstop was able to get to it only a few steps away from second base. Presley Bissett stepped on the bag and gave Presbyterian its first road win of the season and ended the Highlanders nine-game winning streak.
Gagliano was the lone Highlander with two hits in the contest. She went 2-for-3 with her 13th double of the season and her 23rd walk of the year.
Rowe had a double, while Mundy hit her ninth home run of the season. The home run ties her with Rowe for the team lead. Mundy had the lone RBIs for Radford. It was her eighth multi-RBI game of the season.
Huffman entered and gave up only one run on two hits with three strikeouts.
The Highlanders will close out the regular season with a trip to the Palmetto State in Charleston, S.C., with a three-game set. The first game of the series will be on Friday at 4 p.m., while Saturday features a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Radford can finish as high as third in the conference standings.
–RU Athletics
