Highlanders Hold Off Eagle Rally

ROCK HILL, S.C.--Radford held off a four-run ninth inning rally by Winthrop to preserve an 8-7 victory over the Eagles in Big South Conference baseball action on Saturday at The Winthrop Ballpark. (Box Score)

Grant Neidenfeuhr led off the inning with a double down the left field line and Matt Matkovich walked for Winthrop’s first base runners of the inning. The pair moved up on Tommy Lentz’s groundout.

After Radford brought in reliever Bret Lieberman, Kyle Roberson grounded out to drive in Neidenfeuhr and cut the Highlanders’ lead to 8-4. Chris Carrara made it a two-run game with a two-run shot to left-center, his second of the season, as Radford’s lead was 8-6.

Jacob Dempsey singled to center and Daniel Carte walked before David Scoggin singled in a run to set the score at 8-7.

Matt Repec ended the game on a hard-hit fly ball to center as the Highlanders escaped with the one-run victory.

Radford improved to 21-24 overall and 12-8 in Big South play with the win, while Winthrop fell to 31-20 overall and 13-7 in league action.

The Radford win broke an 11-game winning streak for Winthrop in the series between the two teams. The Highlanders last beat the Eagles in the 2000 season. It also snapped a five-game losing streak for RU.

Justin Morgan (5-2) gave up three runs and scattered seven hits in seven innings to pick up the win for the Highlanders. He struck out three and walked three.

Chris Leroux (1-2) gave up five runs (two earned) in two and one-third innings of work. He struck out one and yielded three hits.

Thomas Olejniczak gave the Eagles five impressive innings in relief, shutting out the Highlanders on three hits. He also struck out one.

Carrara led the Eagles offensively, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI. He also scored a run. Neidenfeuhr doubled twice and had three hits while Dempsey added two.

Kellen Wohlford went 3-for-5 to lead the Highlanders at the plate. Dean Altavilla drove in three runs on a home run in the eighth.

Radford scored first, picking up three runs on no hits in the second to take a 3-0 lead. Jesse Ross was hit by a Jeff Reeves pitch and designated hitter David Landman walked to start the inning for the Highlanders. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners over, Ross scored on a wild pitch to give RU a 1-0 lead. A throwing error by Leroux allowed Landman to score as the Highlanders took a 2-0 lead. John Vellines reached safely and advanced to second on the play.

Vellines advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Stuart Ritchie to give RU a 3-0 lead.

Carrara drove in his first two runs of the game with a two-out single in the fifth to cut Radford’s lead to one. Neidenfeuhr doubled and advanced to third on a Matkovich singled to put runners on the corners. Lentz grounded into a fielder’s choice as Neidenfeuhr was out on the play for the first out of the inning. With two outs Carrara lifted a single to right to cut RU’s lead to one.

Matkovich’s lifted a one-out sacrifice fly to center to bring in Repec and tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth. Repec was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and moved to third on a single by Neidenfeuhr.

The Highlanders added four runs in the eighth, highlighted by a three-run home run by Altavilla, to retake the lead. RU added another run in the ninth on a solo home run by Mark Fleisher, his 14th of the season, to take an 8-3 lead.

The two teams return to action on Sunday at 2 p.m. at The Winthrop Ballpark in the rubber game of the three-game series.