RADFORD, Va. - - Brian Richardson’s two-run home run in the top of the ninth, highlighted a Charleston Southern four-run ninth inning, to complete a 7-6 come form behind victory over Radford University in baseball action from the Dedmon Center Park Friday afternoon. (Box Score)
Trailing 5-3 entering the ninth, Charleston Southern’s Jordan Haar would lead off the inning with a double down the right field line. That would mark the end of the afternoon for Radford (8-12, 0-1 BSC) starter David Light, who would be relieved by Bret Lieberman. Lieberman would get the next two CSU (10-20, 3-1 BSC) batters out, before yielding a single to left-center by Brad Jones, to cut the RU advantage to 5-4.
Lieberman would be replaced by Cheston Harris who was greeted rudely by pinch hitter Chris Kellett with an RBI double down the leftfield line evening the score at 5-5. That would set the stage for Richardson who crushed a Harris offering over the leftfield wall for a two run home run, and a 7-5 Buccaneer lead.
RU would manage to push a run across in the bottom of the frame with a RBI ground out by Alan Ashworth, however that was all RU could muster.
Ian Holman earned the victory in relief of Bissell allowing one run on three hits in 1.2 innings. Cheston Harris received the loss for RU to fall to 0-1 on the season. Radford received another strong outing from lefty David Light who allowed four runs, all earned, on 10 hits while striking out seven in 8.1 innings.
Offensively, Jones paced the CSU attack going 3-for-4 , while Haar, Brandon Thacker, Richardson and Jeff Kolhaugen each added two hits. Dayrl Douglas paced RU with a 3-for-four performance. House, Abell, Tarbox and Brunst each added two hits for the Highlanders.
The game started in CSU favor as Haar would hit the first offering from RU starter David Light over the right-center field fence to post a 1-0 CSU lead. That’s the way the game would stay until RU would even the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth. Catcher Shaun House would leadoff the inning reaching on an error and eventually come around to score on a throwing error by CSU starting pitcher Brian Bissell.
RU would take the lead in the sixth thanks to a leadoff homer by Keith Brunst. A house single would add to the RU lead, 3-1 scoring Mike Tarbox from second after reaching on an infield single. After CSU scratched out a single run in the seventh to make it 3-3, RU would counter in the bottom of the inning with a pair of runs themselves.
Shawn Abell started the RU rally with a one out single to left-center. He would score from first when House drilled a Bissell offering into the right field corner. RU would add to the lead when Kellen Wohlford would single home house to give Radford a 5-3 lead entering the ninth.
The three-game Big South Conference series will continue with a double-header, tomorrow at noon.
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