PC improves to 17-10 overall and 4-4 in Big South play.
Radford falls to 15-11 and 1-4 in conference action.
Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth, the Blue Hose
mounted a rally that saw the home side collect three runs on as many hits and
grab the game-winning lead.
The frame began by Williams drawing a full-count walk and
Hite sending a hot shot to third base for a single that moved Williams to
second. Radford replaced its pitcher, Jake Quigg, in favor of Jason Patten to
try and stem the offensive tide.
The new pitcher encountered the same trouble as Zebedis
recorded his second hit of the day with a single through the ride side to load
the bases and bring up Kenny Bryant (Goose Creek, S.C.). Bryant, the hero of
last Sunday's game against VMI, lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that
Williams took advantage of by tagging up and scoring PC's fourth run.
One out later, Nate Horton (Spartanburg, S.C.) took a
four-ball walk to first base that loaded the bases again.
Grammer worked the count full for a tension-filled at-bat. Ready
for the payoff pitch, Grammer sent the offering right back up the middle for a
two-run single and the go-ahead 6-5 lead.
Chandler Knox (Columbia, S.C.) entered the game in the ninth
and locked down the Radford bats for his fourth save of the season. The
freshman gave up one hit but struck out two to secure the result.
Grammer and Brad Zebedis (Rock Hill, S.C.) drove in two runs
apiece in the win. Zebedis, Andrew Williams (Augusta, Ga.) and Mack Hite
(Abbeville, S.C.) each recorded two hits, totaling the team's six for the game.
Zebedis cranked his eighth home run of the season in the
third inning, taking the team lead in that category. Williams also extended his
team-leading hitting streak to seven, tying for the longest streak for Williams
this year.
Nick Ferguson (Lancaster, S.C.) picked up his first win of
the year in relief. Ferguson struck out three and allowed one hit in a two and
two-thirds inning appearance.
PC found the scoreboard early, scoring one run in the first
before adding two in the third. Williams led off the game with a single,
eventually coming home on a bases loaded fly ball from Micklon.
Zebedis' gave the Blue Hose two runs on one swing in the
third. With Hite on second, the freshman launched the first pitch he saw over
the left field fence for his conference-leading eighth dinger that pushed PC's
lead to 3-0.
Radford answered with five runs over a three-inning span
through the middle frames to gain the advantage before PC's late rally took
back the lead.
The Blue Hose return tomorrow in the final game of the
weekend series at 1 p.m.
