University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
4-13, 0
Radford
7-10, 0
Gasparro Deals in UNC Asheville’s Conference-Opening 5-4 Victory at Radford
03.16.2018 | Baseball
RADFORD, Va. – Behind sophomore Greg Gasparro's nearly flawless conference-opening start, the UNC Asheville baseball team upended Radford, 5-4, on Friday afternoon at Carter Stadium.
The one-run conference-opening victory marked the first time UNC Asheville has opened league play undefeated since the 2012 season. That year, the Bulldogs upended VMI, 5-4, in the first league game and went on to sweep the Keydets in the three-game set at Greenwood Field.
BULLDOG BITES
Highlights
Both squads posted quick innings to open the contest, but Radford scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second inning. The Highlanders forced two batters to reach base safely, and they took advantage with a one-out sacrifice fly to give them the early 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs quickly responded in the top of the third, as they tallied three hits and took advantage of a Radford error. Cody Wilson opened the frame with a double down the left field line, and Andrew Friedholm followed with a single, which plated Wilson and knotted the game at 1-1. Kole Harris connected with the third straight Bulldog hit to put a pair of players on base. Chris Troost followed with a sacrifice bunt, but a Radford throwing error allowed Friedholm to score on the play and give Asheville the 2-1 advantage. Carmine Pagano followed with a sacrifice fly, which gave the Bulldogs a two-run advantage on the conference rival. After back-to-back walks from Brandon Lankford and Joe Zayatz, Tyler Serricchio hit the second sacrifice fly of the inning to give the Bulldogs the 4-1 advantage.
Radford quickly responded in the home-half of the third, as it also recorded three hits and took advantage of a UNC Asheville error. The Highlanders plated three runs in the inning to tie the game at 4-4.
UNC Asheville starting pitcher, Gasparro, settled in after allowing four early runs, as the sophomore recorded four 1-2-3 innings from innings four to eight. During that five-inning stretch, he only allowed one hit.
With the strong pitching performance from Gasparro, the Bulldogs backed the Pennington, N.J. native with the ultimate game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning. Danny Wilson started the surge with a single, and Jake Catalano drew a seven-pitch walk to put two runners on base. After a wild pitch and both Bulldogs advancing 90 feet, Friedholm tallied the third UNC Asheville sacrifice fly of the game, which put Asheville up 5-4.
UNC Asheville tried to add insurance runs in the top of the ninth, but Troost and Pagano were left stranded, despite getting back-to-back hits from the duo to open the frame.
Gasparro started the final inning for the Bulldogs. The sophomore made quick work of the first two Highlanders, as he recorded a strikeout and a fly out. After surrendering a single, Harris came on to pitch for the Bulldogs, and he sealed the conference-opening victory, 5-4, over Radford.
Gasparro was phenomenal in the first conference game of the season, as he finished the contest twirling 8.2 innings of work. He scattered seven hits and only allowed three earned runs. He struck out four and allowed one walk. Harris, who entered with the game-winning run at the plate, earned his second save of the season after recording the final out of the game.
Troost and Pagano each posted multi-hit games, as the duo combined for four of the 10 UNC Asheville hits. Friedholm led both squads, as the junior tallied a pair of RBIs. He finished the game with a single and a run scored. Cody Wilson posted the lone UNC Asheville extra-base hit, as he connected with his first extra-base hit of his career.
The Bulldogs move to 4-13 overall, and Radford falls to 7-10. The one-run Bulldog victory also halted the Highlander's three-game winning streak.
What's Next?
The Bulldogs and Highlanders continue the three-game series on Saturday, as both squads square off at 2 p.m. at Carter Stadium.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Gasparro, Greg (1-2)
L: Sande, R (0-1)
S: Harris, Kole (2)
Batting:
2B: Wilson, Cody 1
RBI: Pagano, Carmine 1 ; Serricchio, Tyler 1 ; Friedholm, Andrew 2
SH: Troost, Chris 1
SF: Pagano, Carmine 1 ; Serricchio, Tyler 1 ; Friedholm, Andrew 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Harris, Kole 1 ; Troost, Chris 1 ; Wilson, Danny 1 ; Wilson, Cody 1 ; Friedholm, Andrew 1
Batting:
2B: Horwitz, S 1 ; Baine, C 1
RBI: Roth, M 1 ; Baine, C 1 ; Podaras, S 1
SH: Baine, C 1
SF: Podaras, S 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Higgerson, C 1 ; Horwitz, S 1 ; Roth, M 2
SB: Horwitz, S 1 ; Roth, M 1 ; Christian, C 1 ; Whitacre, A 1
HBP: Higgerson, C 1
