ROCK HILL, S.C. – Winthrop baseball (17-20, 9-6 Big South Conference) fell in both games of its doubleheader with Radford (14-21, 6-9 Big South Conference) to conclude the series Saturday at The Winthrop Ballpark.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Game 1
-Radford struck first, loading the bases in the top of the second, then a Carlin Christian two-out single plated two. The Highlanders tacked on another in the 3^rd with a sacrifice fly.

-Hunter Lipscomb and Alex Raines led off the bottom of the 3^rd with back-to-back singles to get runners on first and second with no outs. Lipscomb would get to third on a Brandon Fite fly-out, but
Winthrop was unable to get a run across.

-Cale Gibson got on base in the 4^th on a wild pitch and Tyler Halstead sent a fly out deep to center that allowed him to get home after advancing to third earlier in the inning for the Eagles' first score of the day.

-The Eagles would be unable to mount a scoring threat the remainder of the game, going down in order in the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th and 9^th, and recording a Raines singles in the 8^th.

Game 2
-Radford got on the board first in the second game as well with a ground out RBI in the 1^st, but the Eagles responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning. A walk issued to Brandon Fite and a Mitch Spires single got two on, then Dillon Morton delivered the three-run homer to right field for the 3-1 lead.

-Radford's Will Harless knocked a solo homer to cut the Winthrop lead to 3-2 in the top of the 2^nd and the Highlanders would plate another on a balk to tie it up at 3-3.

-With two on base in the 4^th, Colten Rendon came on to pitch for starter Cody Whitten, but the Highlanders would get one across with a single RBI to left. Radford go up 5-3 in the top of the 5^th on a ground out RBI.

-In the bottom of the 5^th, Brandon Fite reached base on a single, then advanced to second on an error. Grant English sent a two-run homer to left to tie up the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the 5^th.

-Both sides would go down in order in the 6^th.

-In the bottom of the 7^th, Jake Sullivan crushed a home run over the left field fence that would have given the Eagles a 6-5 lead, but it was called off the board as the umpires determined Sullivan did not tag first base.

-With two on base and no outs in the top of the 8^th, Dalton Whitaker would take the mound for the Eagles. Whitaker would sit down the first batter he faced, but a two-RBI single and an RBI-double would plate three and give Radford an 8-5 lead.

-Radford's Colby Higgerson reached on a single in the top of the 9^th that would send the Eagles to the bullpen for LHP Jason Crumley, but an RBI triple would bring Higgerson home for a 9-5 Radford lead.
 
NOTABLES
-With just four hits in game one and six hits in game two of the doubleheader, the Eagles' hitting trend held as they fell to 5-16 when failing to record double-digit hits.

-In game two, Brandon Fite was 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored, bringing his total for the series to 5-for-11.

-Aside from two home runs in game two, the Eagles only recorded one multiple-base hit across both games, a Hunter Lipscomb double in game two.

UP NEXT
The Eagles have two midweek contests next week, heading to Davidson on Tues., Apr. 17 at 6 p.m., then hosting USC Upstate at 6 p.m. on Weds., Apr. 18. Winthrop continues Big South play at home with a three-game series next weekend, Fri.-Sun., Apr. 20-22, against UNC Asheville.