No. 25 VCU Holds Off Radford, 3-2 in Non-Conference Baseball

RADFORD, Va. – No. 25 Virginia Commonwealth plated single runs in each of the first three innings and held off Radford University the rest of the way for a 3-2 non-conference victory at Dedmon Center Park Tuesday afternoon. (Box Score)

Eric Latura led the VCU offensive attack going 3-for-5 with one run scored and an RBI. Justin Mattison collected a pair of hits in the victory. Michael Leishman improved to 5-1 on the season for the Rams, striking out five while yielding four hits over six innings for the victory. John Link worked a perfect seventh, while Cla Meredith slamed the door with two scoreless and hitless innings to earn his sixth save of the year.

Radford starter Cory Koliscak suffered the loss despite one of his best outing of the season striking out five while allowing all three of VCU’s runs on seven hits. Justin Morgan worked a scoreless inning off relief before Robby Bursey came in to shut the Rams down in the seventh, eighth and nine striking out two in three innings without allowing a hit. Stuart Ritchie collected two of the Highlanders four hits on the afternoon.

VCU wasted no time plating their first run of the game after Latura led off the game with a single to center he then stole second and came around to score on Mattison’s RBI single. Lautra figured in the scoring in the second, as his second single of the game drove home Barrett Ripley for a 2-0 VCU lead. The Rams pushed their lead to 3-0 in the third, as Anthony Granato drew a leadoff walk and was moved to third on Danny Lopaze’s double down the right field line. Two batters later Jeff Parrish’s groundout to short drove in Granato.

Radford chipped away at the 3-0 VCU lead scoring once it the third and once in the sixth. In the third, Ritchie drove in Steve Mignogna from third with two outs making it 3-1 Rams. That would be the way the ball game would stand until the sixth when RU pulled within one run on Shaun House’s sacrifice fly to center scoring Ritchie whom had singled and stole second and third.

VCU threatened in the seventh loading the bases with no outs off RU reliever Morgan. Bursey was summoned from the bullpen to diffuse the damage only to set the Rams down via strike out and a pair of pop ups keeping the one run game.

The Highlanders close out the regular season with a three game series against Winthrop starting Friday at 3 p.m.