University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
5-13, 0
Radford
7-11, 0
Late Offense, Strong Pitching Lifts UNC Asheville To Conference-Series Victory over Radford
03.17.2018 | Baseball
RADFORD, Va. – Behind late offense and strong pitching, the UNC Asheville baseball team downed Radford on Saturday, 8-2, to win the Big South Conference opening series at Carter Stadium.
With the two victories on Friday and Saturday for UNC Asheville, it marks the first time since the 2012 season the Bulldogs have won the first two Big South games of the season.
BULLDOG BITES
Highlights
UNC Asheville opened the contest with its first hit of the game in the second inning. The hit came off Brandon Lankford's bat, which was a leadoff solo home run to left field. It was his team-leading fourth home run of the season.
The Highlanders retaliated with a RBI single in the home-half of the same inning, which tied the game at 1-1.
Both teams were held off the scoreboard for the next three innings. During that stretch, Nick Boyles and Jordan Fulbright combined to only allow one Highlander hit.
In the top of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs doubled their lead (2-1), as Tyler Serricchio tallied a RBI.
After a 1-2-3 inning for Radford, the Bulldog offense erupted in the top of the seventh, as Andrew Friedholm smoked a three-run home run to open the contest up to a 5-1 lead. It was the first home run of the season for the junior and the fourth of his career.
The Bulldogs tacked on three insurance runs in the final inning of Saturday's contest. Chris Troost and Jake Catalano each tallied a hit in the ninth frame. Kole Harris, Carmine Pagano and Serricchio each reached base safely thanks to a walk or a hit by pitch.
Radford attempted a ninth-inning comeback, but Jesse Juday shut down the Highlander attack, which sealed the 8-2 UNC Asheville victory.
Lankford had a team-high two hits, as he touched home once and also drew one walk. Friedholm had a team-high three RBIs, which came off his home run in the seventh inning, and Serricchio and Catalano each recorded a pair of RBIs. Troost and Pagano each posted a hit, which amounted to the team's seven total hits.
Boyles started his second game of the year on Saturday, and he twirled four frames and struck out three. He allowed one run and scattered one hit. Fulbright, who earned his first win of the season, was phenomenal in his relief appearance. The senior left-handed pitcher totaled three frames and didn't allow a hit or run. He accounted for three strikeouts and allowed one walk. Eric Whitecavage and Juday combined for the final two innings, as they also combined for a pair of strikeouts.
The Bulldogs move to 5-13 overall and 2-0 in league play, and Radford falls to 7-11 overall and 0-2 in the Big South.
What's Next?
The Bulldogs and Highlanders conclude the three-game series on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Carter Stadium.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Fulbright, Jordan (1-3)
L: BYWATERS, Ryan (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Lankford, Brandon 1 ; Friedholm, Andrew 1
RBI: Lankford, Brandon 1 ; Serricchio, Tyler 2 ; Catalano, Jake 2 ; Friedholm, Andrew 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Harris, Kole 1 ; Troost, Chris 1 ; Pagano, Carmine 2 ; Lankford, Brandon 1 ; Wilson, Danny 1 ; Wilson, Cody 1 ; Friedholm, Andrew 1
SB: Troost, Chris 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 1 ; Wilson, Danny 1
HBP: Pagano, Carmine 1 ; Serricchio, Tyler 1
Batting:
2B: ROTH, Matt 2
3B: BUTLER, Kyle 1
RBI: HIGGERSON, Colby 1 ; ROTH, Matt 1
SF: HIGGERSON, Colby 1
Base Running:
RUNS: BUTLER, Kyle 1 ; SZAMSKI, Andrew 1
SB: BUTLER, Kyle 1
