So Cold!

about 15 hours ago

It wasn't the outcome the Radford Highlanders were hoping for after their weekend in Farmville Virginia against the Longwood University Lancers. The ladies from Radford were shut out for the seventh time this season on Friday with a 1 to 0 loss. I think part of the problem is just the fact that they were so good last year. They only had four losses in conference play last year and they easily snagged the title of regular season champion. Unfortunately, they didn't perform quite so well in the conference tournament, so maybe this year we will see an opposite outcome.

Our niece made it into the game on Friday as a pinch hitter, and she was able to reach first base after an error on one of the infielders. Sadly, she was once again left on base when the hitters behind her were unable to convert on her success.

The first game on Saturday was a much different story for the Highlanders as they cruised to a 8 to 0 five inning run rule over the Lancers. To be fair, a lot of that can be contributed to some poor pitching on the part of Longwood. They walked a lot of batters in that game and it effectively lost them the game. However, I would be remiss if I didn't point out the excellent pitching of Cooper to grab the shutout win.

Hoping this was a sign of things to come they entered in to the third game of the series to see which team would take home the series victory. It was a tough battle, and unfortunately, the Highlanders came up short losing a walk off game 6 to 5. It was a back and forth affair that I kept hoping would fall in favor of Radford, but it just wasn't meant to be.

I think what bugs me the most is the number of games that they have lost with either a shut out or a walk off or a combination of both. I feel like some changes need to be made on both the defense and offense when something like that happens. Let some of your bench start a little more consistently. Of course, I say that because I obviously want to see my niece play some more, but I really think they would be impressed if they gave her a chance.

The good news is, the top five teams in the conference get to make it to the tournament at the end of the year. The bad news is, there are only three more series left before the end of the regular season, so the ladies really need to finish strong to have a chance to play in the tournament.

They are off this week, but next weekend they have another three game series against Gardner-Webb University at home in Radford.