#1 Radford Eliminates #2 Longwood, 3-1
By Radford Athletics
CLINTON, S.C. – The Radford softball program came back in a big way downing second-seed Longwood 3-1 Friday afternoon.
Looking to bounce back against their in-state rivals, Radford dug deep and used some clutch hitting to overcome Longwood in their first elimination game of the day. Morgan Cooper, earning the start, was huge for the Highlanders in keeping a powerful Longwood offense at arm's length.
In the first, Cooper retired three straight to set the tone. In the bottom half Radford got a pair of runners thanks to a walk by Amanda Lee and a double from Rachel Smith. The Highlanders weren't able to cash in, though, keeping it a 0-0 game.
The Lancers got their first baserunner in the second via walk, but Cooper allowed nothing else preserving the tie early. Abby Bossler added another double in the offensive half, but with two outs already Radford came out empty handed. Another strikeout and working around a hit, Cooper kept it a 0-0 ballgame in the third.
Grace Bechtol would lead off the bottom of the third with a single through the left side and promptly swiping second to set up a scoring opportunity. A sacrifice bunt moved Bechtol to third and she came home on a wild pitch to give Radford a 1-0 lead. Not satisfied, R. Smith blasted a deep home run to left to push Radford's lead further at 2-0.
Cooper kept working, tossing a scoreless fourth and perfect fifth to keep Radford ahead. In the bottom of the fifth, Radford got a big insurance run thanks to some clutch hitting from Isabel Harrison. After R. Smith led the inning off with a single, she moved to second on a groundout. Harrison would single to right, scoring Smith and giving Radford the 3-0 edge.
In the sixth, the Lancers were finally able to break through. With three hits and just one out to break it up, Longwood made it a 3-1 game. Radford made a pitching change bringing in Dakota Redmon who forced a big double play up the middle to preserve the lead.
Radford got a pair of runners in the sixth as well, but were held scoreless keeping it a 3-1 game. Longwood didn't go away quietly in the seventh. The Lancers would load the bases off some bloop hits and a walk. With two outs already in the inning, Redmon sealed the deal with a strikeout for her second save this season. Winning 3-1, Radford advanced to their next elimination game against Winthrop.