Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Radford
Radford Defeats Army, 18-8
February 20, 2011 | Baseball
Box Score
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Brett Mollenhauer went 2-for-3 with four runs batted in, and Jeff Kemp smacked a three-run home run to lead Radford to an 18-8 victory over Army on Saturday evening at Wilson Field on the campus of Davidson College.
Radford (2-0) established a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Zach Costello walked to lead off the inning, stole second, moved to third on a ground out and scored on Matt Hillsinger's RBI single.
Army (1-2) knotted the score at 1-1 in the third inning when Jonathan Crucitti walked, stole second and scored on Steve May's single up the middle.
The Highlanders moved back in front in the fifth inning when Cory Turner doubled and scored on Mollenhauer's single through the right side of the infield.
The Black Knights moved in front for the first time in the contest in the top of the sixth inning, scoring twice to grab a 3-2 lead. Joey Henshaw started the rally when he smacked a one-out double into the gap in right-center field. Kevin McKague's single up the middle plated Gunnar Carroll, who pinch-ran for Henshaw, and tied the score at 2-2. McKague advanced to second on a wild pitch and then stole third, before scoring on Brent Peterson's sacrifice fly.
Army's slim lead was short-lived, however, as Radford pushed across six runs in the bottom of the sixth to move in front, 8-3. Turner's two-run double highlighted the six-run uprising, which gave the Highlanders the lead for good.
Radford tacked on five more runs in the seventh inning as the Highlanders' lead ballooned to 13-3.
Army added two runs in the top of the eighth as Peterson hit an RBI single and David Darnell scored on a wild pitch.
Radford struck for another five-spot in the bottom of that frame, however, to open up its largest lead of the contest at 18-5.
The Black Knights closed out the scoring in the top of the ninth, plating three runs in the frame. Clayton Mosley drove in the first run with an infield single, while Clint Moore drove in the others with a two-run double.
Moore and Peterson each registered two hits and two RBI apiece to lead Army at the plate.
Chris Rowley got the start on the mound for the Black Knights, and the sophomore allowed just two runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out five and only yielded two walks.
"As I have said from day one, we are not afraid to trade wins for answers," said Army head coach Joe Sottolano. "I thought Chris Rowley pitched well while he was in the game, but things began to fall apart after the fifth inning, both defensively and on the mound. We need to become more consistent at the plate as well, and we need to get into the right rhythm. With that being said, we have showed some signs and we have done some things well over the past two days. We are looking forward to tomorrow's challenge against a good Georgetown club."
Army closes out its busy opening weekend slate on Sunday, Feb. 20, when the Black Knights take on Georgetown at 10 a.m.
Game Notes: Army falls to 0-2 versus Radford all-time ... both meetings were played this weekend, with the Highlanders securing a 7-4 victory in yesterday's season opener ... freshman Jonathan Crucitti made his Army debut in today's contest as he got the start in right field ... he went 1-for-2 and scored a pair of runs ... freshman Connor Love made his Army debut when he pinch-hit for Zach Price in the ninth inning ... sophomore Kramer Peak made his Army debut as he came into the game to relieve J.T. Watkins ... freshman Colin Briant made his Army debut, throwing one inning of relief for the Black Knights ... freshman Brent Peterson recorded his first multi-hit game, and also picked up his first two career RBI ... Chris Rowley set a new personal best with 5.0 innings pitched.
