UNCG Baseball Drops 13-Inning Thriller to Radford
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team fell 4-3 in 13 innings to the Radford Highlanders in the second game of a three-game non-conference weekend slated at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Jeremy Wolf put the Spartans in the scoring column first when he chopped an infield single to short, driving in one run with the bases loaded. After the Highlanders escaped the jam allowing just one run, UNCG found itself leading 1-0 after the opening frame.
Wolf then reached on an error for the Spartans in the fourth and later scored on a sacrifice bunt by Boone Herman back to the pitcher. After four innings in the Gate City, the Spartans led the Highlanders 2-0.
Radford’s first run of the afternoon crossed the plate during the sixth inning when James Ward doubled down the third-base line, scoring Corbin Grantham from third to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Dilley extended the Spartans’ lead by bouncing a ground-rule double over the wall in left, which forced Luke Jenkins to score and push the lead to 3-1.
Radford rallied to tie it in the top of the ninth, scoring two runs on three hits to even the score at 3-3. Ward got the surge started with a leadoff double to left. Tyler Sparrer then doubled into the right-field corner to score Ward, which cut UNCG’s lead to one, 3-2. Eli Hudgins tied the game, 3-3, when he laid down a sacrifice bunt with the tying run standing 90 feet from home. The Spartans’ pitcher, Danny Thompson Jr., charged the ball and attempted to make a backhanded glove-flip play to Jacob Dilley at the plate, but pinch runner Matthew McGovern dove in safely with a head-first slide to tie the game and force extra innings.
The Highlanders pushed the only run during extras across in the top of the 13th when Ward scored from second after Brady Whitacre batted a ball underneath the glove of a UNCG infielder and into the outfield. The Spartans were retired in order during the bottom half of the inning and the Highlanders prevailed by a final score of 4-3.
NOTES:
Wolf and Jacob Budzik led UNCG with two hits each.
Wolf, Dilley and Herman posted an RBI each for the Spartans.
Luke Jenkins led with two walks and robbed a home run in the 10th inning to keep the game tied, 3-3.
Jay Miller’s line: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB & 4 K.
Both sides turned two double plays.
Radford finished with an 8-7 edge in hits.
PITCHING RECORDS:
Hunter Howard: W, 1-0
Rob Ready: L, 1-2
RECORDS:
UNCG: 6-8, 0-0 SoCon
RAD: 6-7, 0-0 Big South
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The Spartans will conclude a three-game weekend series with Radford, playing game three on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at UNCG Baseball Stadium.
Courtesy of Connor Wachtel
Strategic Communications Coordinator
UNC Greensboro