Highlanders Split With Virginia

Charlottesville, Va. --Freshman Breanna Felix’s (Spring Valley, Calif./Mount Miguel) pitching performance in game two and senior Hallie East’s (Roanoke, Va./Glenvar) 5-for-7 at the plate in two games helped the Highlanders split with Virginia this afternoon from the Park. Radford stands at 24-25, while the Cavaliers go to 29-22.

Behind Felix, the Highlanders won game two, 4-1. After allowing a leadoff home run, the lefty settled down and allowed six more hits and struck out seven as she improved to 6-7 on the season. In game one, the Cavaliers scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to earn 7-6 comeback win over RU.

In the second game, Heather Field staked the Cavaliers to a 1-0 lead with a leadoff home run, her seventh of the season, to left field in the bottom of the first inning.

Radford took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. The Highlanders used two hits and a pair of errors to score their two runs. Danielle Tompkins (Newport News, Va./Woodside) led off with a single and Lara Wohlgemuth (Centreville, Va./Chantilly) walked. Tompkins came around to score when Sara Beth Clayton's (Chesapeake, Va./Louisburg College) single to right was bobbled. Wohlgemuth scored the go-ahead run when Peck's grounder to second was misplayed for an error.

The Highlanders added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on Clayton's RBI triple to center and Peck's sacrifice fly to center. Virginia threatened in the bottom of the seventh with back-to-back one-out singles, but Felix got a strikeout, and after a walk loaded the bases, induced a pop to shortstop to end the game.

Clayton and East each had a pair of hits for the Highlanders.

In the first game, Jenn Wynn drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in the fifth inning, to lead the Cavaliers to a hard-fought 7-6 victory. Sara Larquier went 3-3 with a RBI in the game.

Radford, who outhit the Cavaliers 11-10, were led by East’s 3-for-4 performance with a double, RBI and run scored. Wohlgemuth and Amanda Walling (Summerville, S.C./Stratford) each had a pair of hits.

Radford took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Walling's two-run single to right, but UVa responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Wynn drove in the first run with a two-out single down the right field line that scored center fielder Jessica Taylor from first base. Larquier then drove in Wynn with a double to right center.

The Highlanders regained the lead 3-2 in the second when they scored on a Cavalier throwing error. Virginia jumped back on top, 4-3, with two two-out runs in the second. Field hit a triple to left center that scored Jackie Greer, who walked. Taylor then followed with a RBI single to right field.

In the third inning, Colleen Casey knotted the game at 4-4 with a RBI single up the middle. The Highs took a 5-4 lead in the fifth inning when Ashley Smith (Roanoke, Va./Northside) walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a passed ball. Hallie East plated Smith with a single down the left field line. The Cavaliers took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth inning when Wynn hit a three-run homer to left field to make the score 7-5. Field led off the inning with a walk and after a sacrifice by Taylor, Hannah Owings was intentionally walked to bring up Wynn, who promptly deposited her second home run of the season. Radford added an unearned run in the sixth to pull within a run, 7-6.

Erin Horn picked up the victory with four innings of relief in place of Joanna Barstad. Horn gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits while improving to 12-8 on the season. She struck out four batters and walked two. In three innings, Barstad allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Kat Peck (6-6) took the loss for Radford. She was charged with seven runs on 10 hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

Radford will head to Charleston, S.C. on Saturday for a Big South doubleheader with Charleston Southern at 1 p.m. They follow that with a pair against Coastal Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m.