Clayton Powers Radford Past ETSU to Earn Split at Stateline Classic

Bristol, Tenn. --Sara Beth Clayton (Chesapeake, Va./Louisburg College) knocked in a school record six runs as Radford defeated East Tennessee State, 12-4, to earn a split at the Stateline Classic. The Highlanders dropped their opener to #10 Tennessee 11-2. With the split, RU moves to 27-28 on the season. The 27 wins are second most in school history, surpassing the 26 victories in 1998. Clayton finished the two games 4-for-6 with a double, triple, home run, seven RBI and four runs scored.

Radford put seven runs on the board in the first two innings against ETSU. In the first with runners on first and second, Clayton roped an RBI double to left center, knocking in Lara Wohlgemuth (Centreville, Va./Chantilly), who led off with a single. Kat Peck’s (Manassas, Va.) followed with a RBI single to center. Two batters later, Danielle Tompkins (Newport News, Va./Woodside) plated Clayton with a double down the left field line.

They added four unearned runs, all with two outs, in the second. Wohlgemuth started the two-out rally with a single to right. After Lindsay Woody (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) reached on an error and Clayton walked to load the bases, Peck drew a walk to force in a run. Amanda Walling (Summerville, S.C./Stratford) followed with a two-run single up the middle. Ashley Smith (Roanoke, Va./Northside) plated Peck with a five-foot dribbler that stopped on the foul line.

RU made it 8-0 in the third on a run-scoring single by Clayton, knocking in Wohlgemuth from third. ETSU posted two runs in the bottom half of the inning on a two-out RBI single to left by Danielle Spetar, plating Julia McChain from third. Mary Beth Hazelwood scored on the play when Smith misplayed the single.

Radford added four more in the fifth on Clayton’s record breaking grand slam to center. ETSU closed out the scoring in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs on a two run single by Spetar.

Wohlgemuth finished the game 2-for-3 with three runs scored. She also drew a walk, her 22nd this season, second most and just three shy of the single-season record of 25. Woody also scored three runs for the Highlanders.

Breanna Felix (Spring Valley, Calif./Mount Miguel) earned the win for RU. She allowed three earned runs on six hits and struck out five, improving to 9-7 on season. Tiffany McVay suffered the loss, allowing seven runs, one earned, on five hits in just 1.2 innings of work.

The Highlanders struck for two runs in the top of the first. Wohlgemuth led of with a walk and was sacrificed to second. She scored on Clayton’s triple to right center. The triple was her sixth of the season, on shy of tying the single-season record held by Suzie Rath (1994). Clayton crossed the plate on Peck’s single up the middle.

The Lady Vols cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff single by Lindsay Schutzler, she stole second and was sacrificed to third and would score on Kristi Durant’s sac fly. They tied it up in the second on another sac fly by Katherine Card, but RU got out of further trouble when Monica Abbott, who hit a ground rule double, was caught off second base on the throw home.

Tennessee broke open a 2-2 game with a nine–run, 10-hit third, sending 14 batters to the plate. With the bases loaded and one out, Amber Rhinehart, started the rally with a two-run single to make it 4-2. That was the first of seven consecutive hits, five for at least one RBI, for the Lady Vols.

For the Lady Vols, Schutzler finished the game 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and three runs scored, while Stacey Jennings went 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Abbott picked up the win in two innings of relief, striking out one and not allowing a hit to improve to 37-5 on the year. She also went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI at the plate. Peck (6-7) suffered the loss, allowing eight runs on 11 hits. She struck out two and walked two.