The season came to a tough end for the Radford softball team on Wednesday with losses to third-seeded Longwood (6-1) and fifth-seeded Winthrop (5-0) on the opening day of the Big South Tournament.
Hannah Medlam and Summer Robinson each totaled three hits on the day for the Highlanders (27-28). Medlam had two against Winthrop, while Robinson had all three of hers in the elimination-game defeat.
In Game 1, Longwood totaled just five hits against three Radford pitchers, but capitalized on all of its opportunities to manufacture three runs in the second, and one in each in the third, fourth and fifth. The Lancers also took advantage of four walks and two stolen bases.
Abby Morrow and Elizabeth McCarthy retired the first nine batters of the game before Longwood got a pair of singles around a hit batter to load the bases with no outs in the second. An RBI groundout made it 1-0, another run scored ahead of the tag when Marissa Gagliano fielded a grounder and threw home, and the third scored on a sacrifice bunt.
The Lancers added another in the bottom of the third against Kayla Huffman. A one-out single, stolen base and a walk put two on with two out. Huffman induced another grounder to Gagliano, but the runners were going and Glenn Walters, who beat the play at home in the first inning again used her speed to win the race with Gagliano to the second base bag, allowing her teammate to score.
A two-out walk, wild pitch and RBI double led to the run in the third that made it 5-0, before the Highlanders scored their lone run in the fifth. Maggie Rowe got the first hit off of McCarthy with an infield single and Hannah Medlam followed with a base hit to right. After a sacrifice by Brooke Trapuzzano, McCarthy issued back-to-back two-out walks to Lindsey Toneygay and pinch-hitter Sofia Tapia to plate the run and bring up the top of the order. However, Gagliano grounded out to short to end the inning.
The Lancers then got the run back in the bottom of the fame, again capitalizing on a walk and a stolen base with an RBI single by Jessica Smith.
McCarthy went the distance, allowing the two hits, striking out four and walking three. Huffman worked the next three innings after Morrow pitched the first two. Making her first appearance since April 9, Tiffany Brown pitched a 1-2-3 sixth. Neither team had a player with more than one hit in the game.
In Game 2, each team totaled eight hits, but Winthrop capitalized on scoring chances and manufactured runs in the third and fifth innings, while Radford left 11 runners on base in the game.
After each team missed scoring chances in the first, Winthrop scored the only runs it would with two in the bottom of the third on a two-run single by All-Big South first-teamer Maddie Antone. A leadoff single, infield hit and sacrifice set the table before Antone hit a seeing-eye grounder through the right side.
The Highlanders tried to mount a two-out rally in the fifth as Gagliano and Summer Robinson got infield hits around a Medlam’s second single of the game to load the bases. However, Winthrop’s Kiley Majette came back from 3-0 count to get an inning-ending strikeout.
The Eagles then struck for three more runs in the bottom of the inning. A fielding error, bunt single by Antone and walk loaded the bases. Morgan Lowers followed with an RBI single, another runner came home on fielder’s choice off a bunt and a sacrifice fly made it 5-0.
In the seventh, Lauren Maddrey led off with a bunt single, Marissa Gagliano walked and Robinson singled to left to load the bases with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended it.
Morrow worked the first three innings, allowing two runs on five hits. Huffman pitched the next three, giving up two earned on three hits. Majette went the distance for Winthrop.
— Courtesy of RU Athletics
