Highlanders Tie Single-Season Win Record with Split Against Coastal Carolina on Senior Day

Senior Lara Wohlgemuth Breaks Single-Season Walk Record in Game One

Radford, Va. - On Senior Day, Radford (33-22, 5-3 Big South) tied the single-season win record with its 33rd victory in game one, as it split with Coastal Carolina (22-21, 6-4) amid snow flurries on a frigid afternoon from Dedmon Center Field. The Highlanders won game one 4-2 behind the arm of sophomore Bre Felix (Spring Valley, Calif.) and the bat of senior Ashley Smith (Roanoke, Va.). The Lady Chanticleers rallied in the top of the seventh to take a 4-3 victory in game two to earn the split.

Smith finished the four-game weekend, going 11-for-13 at the plate with a double, two home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored and a 1.385 slugging percentage. She also moved into second on RU’s career hits chart with 195 and extended her hitting streak to a team high eight games with five hits this afternoon.

In game one, Smith went 3-for-3 with two RBI and Felix tied the single-game strikeout record for the second time this season with 14 in a complete game victory. Her strikeout total moved her into third on RU’s career charts with 276. Felix scattered six hits and walked a batter as she improved to 22-10 on the season.

Radford struck early with on an RBI single to left by Smith in the first inning, the third of three straight singles to start the game.

The Highlanders would tack on single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 3-0 lead. Freshman Shelby Rector (Virginia Beach, Va.) roped a RBI double off the fence in the fourth and freshman Ashley Taylor (Ringgold, Va.) blooped a bases loaded single in the fifth, scoring senior Lara Wohlgemuth (Centreville, Va.) who walked to lead off the inning. That walk broke the career walk record at Radford which sits at 68 after today.

The Chanticleers cut the lead to one in the top of the sixth on a two-run home run by Meagen Johnson going opposite field to left center. RU plated an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning on bases loaded RBI single up the middle by Smith.

Wohlgemuth finished the game 2-for-2 with two runs scored. CCU’s Delane Grainger went 3-for-4 at the plate with Johnson going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Brittany Nelson suffered the loss for the Chants, going four innings and allowing three runs on eight hits. She struck out four and walked two.

In game two, Coastal rallied from two separate deficits to edge Radford 4-3. After Smith homered to put RU up 3-2 in the sixth, Danyelle Gerdts tied the game with one out with a round tripper of her own and then with two outs Allison Cantrell blooped a single to right, scoring Grainger from the second with the winning run.

Radford scored single runs in the first and third innings to take a 2-0 lead. Smith knocked in freshman Ashley Carlson (Chesapeake, Va.), who poked a double down the leftfield line, with a single to left. In the third, freshman Cassie Rhodes scored an unearned run on a wild pitch.

Coastal tied it in the fifth with a pair of runs on four hits. Gerdts plated Kristina Sheppard from third with a single up the middle. With two outs, Sara Hostetler beat out a grounder in between first and second to load the bases and the next batter Cantrell drew a walk to force in the tying run.

Johnson picked up the win, allowing two earned runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking one batter. Taylor suffered the loss, allowing nine hits, striking out five and walking a batter. Smith and Taylor each went 2-for-3 at the plate. Smith knock in a pair of runs, bring her career total to 118, just two shy of Melissa Pickel’s career record of 120.

For CCU, Gerdts went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Seven other Chants recorded one hit.

Radford hits the road on Wednesday for a Big South tilt with Liberty at 2 p.m.