Altivilla’s Homer Stagers Birmingham-Southern 5-4 in Baseball

RADFORD, Va. - Junior catcher Dean Altivilla drilled a two-out, three-run home run over the right field fence as Radford University erased a four run deficit to take game one of the three game non-conference series 5-4 over Birmingham-Southern College Friday afternoon in baseball action at Dedmon Center Park. (Box Score)

Freshman Josh Deaver (2-7) had his best outing of his young collegiate career, scattering eight hits over seven innings in striking out six and walking just two to record his first victory since March 14. Robby Bursey worked a scoreless eighth, setting up Bret Leiberman’s seventh save of the season tying him with Travis Toms (1994) for the school single season save mark. Wes Letson (6-4) was the hard luck loser allowing all five runs while striking out four in seven innings.

Kellen Wohlford paced the Highlander offensive attack with a pair of singles in three trips. Scott Asher and Michael Cline each collected two-hits for Birmingham-Southern.

The Highlanders collected five of their six hits on the afternoon in the decisive seventh inning, which saw them cross the dish five times off Panther starter Wes Letson. Stuart Ritchie, Ryan Wetzel and Scott Gvozdas got the Highlanders started with singles to lead off the inning and load the bases. Matt Mantione would draw a bases loaded walk scoring Ritchie for RU’s first run.

After Letson retired Ashworth on a line-out to second, Wohlford collected his second hit of the game, a blooper to center, driving home Wetzel. On Wohlford’s single, Gvozdas ran through the stop sign and was thrown out at the plate sending Altivilla to the plate with two outs and runners on

Deaver was cruising through the first three innings scattering two hits along the way before yielding back-to-back singles to Asher and Cliene to lead off the fourth. Birmingham-Southern would load the bases with no-outs as Deaver drilled Robertson with a fastball in the helmet, setting up Ryan Griffith’s double to left plating Asher and Cliene. An RBI groundout to first by Goidwin made it 3-0 Panthers, as Deaver would get out of the jam with the help of a base running blunder by Robertson who was caught too far off third on Walker’s chopper to third.

Jared Walker’s two-out double off the left-centerfield fence in the sixth gave BSC a four run cushion and it seemed that that would be all the Panthers would need as Letson allowed only one hit and struck out four through six.

Game two of the three game series will tomorrow at Noon.