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Highlander News!

Radford Puts Out Flames to Win First-Ever Big South Softball Championship

RADFORD, Va. – After No. 3 Liberty forced a decisive title game, top-seeded Radford cruised to its first Big South Championship in school history with a 10-1 six-inning victory over the Flames Saturday evening at the RU Softball Field.
 
With the triumph, the Highlanders earn the league’s automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Softball Tournament. Radford will find out were it is headed tomorrow night, May 10 at 10:00 p.m. The selection show will be on ESPNU.
 
Highlighted by tournament MVP Kristen Shifflett’s (Charlottesville, Va./Monticello) 4-for-4 outing, which included her school-record 13th long ball of the season, Sarah Himan (Woodbridge, Va. / Hylton ) and Michelle Beall (Culpeper, Va. / Culpeper County) also belted home runs and added three RBI each for the Highlanders.

“I told the team that they needed to step up in the second game and we did that,” said Big South Coach of the Year Mickey Dean. “Everyone played their roles and paid off. I could not be any prouder of this team. They put in a lot of hard work all season and were rewarded in the end with a championship.”
 
Chelsea Kelley (Roanoke, Va. / Cave Spring), the 2009 Big South Pitcher of the Year, bounced back from a game one setback to scatter five hits over six innings to record her 24th victory of the season, while striking out a pair of Flames.
 
Kelley and Shifflett, senior Jenn Everhart (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) and freshman Leigh Godfrey (Perth, Australia/Seton Catholic College) were named to the all-tournament team.

“This is four years of hard work and dedication that has finally paid off,” commented Everhart while holding on tightly to the championship trophy. “This is what our team has dreamed of and its feels amazing!”
 
The Highlanders did not waste time in game two, using small ball to take a 4-0 lead in the first. Radford bunted the ball four times, including two successful squeezes by Himan and freshman Nichole Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County), to put it up 2-0. Michelle Beall and sophomore Shannon Keefe (Lemont Township, Ill./Lemont) knocked in the next two runs with back-to-back RBI singles.

Shifflett made it 5-0, crushing her home run to the intramural field in left.

Kelley got of a second and third one-out jam in the fifth striking out Jenna Eatmon and getting pinch hitter Ashley Bensinger to pop up to second. In the bottom half, Michelle Beall hit a two-run home run to centerfield pushing Radford’s lead to 7-0.
 
After Liberty scored its first run of the game on a RBI single Keely McMillon in the sixth, Himan closed out the game with a walk-off two-run home run to left in the bottom half of the inning.

Michelle Beall was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored for the Highlanders. Nichole Beall also scored a pair of runs and Leigh Godfrey added two base hits.

Radford Softball to Face Georgia in 2009 NCAA Tournament

RADFORD, Va. – Fresh of its first Big South Softball Championship, Radford (40-13) will head to Chapel Hill, N.C. and face the sixth overall seed Georgia (39-10) on Thursday, May 14 at 1 p.m. in the 2009 NCAA Championships. The double elimination four-team regional takes place from May 14-16 on the campus of North Carolina.
 
“We have had great years before, but this year we finished,” commented Big South Coach of the Year Mickey Dean. “This is a great regional and we are looking forward to it. We have to stay focused and take it one game at a time. The most important thing we have to do is have a good practice tomorrow.”
 
In the other contest host North Carolina (45-11) will face Atlantic Sun champion Campbell (38-14).
 
The Highlanders earned the Big South’s automatic bid yesterday with a 10-1 victory over Liberty in the title game at RU Softball Field.
 
Highlighted by tournament MVP Kristen Shifflett’s (Charlottesville, Va./Monticello) 4-for-4 outing, which included her school-record 13th long ball of the season, Sarah Himan (Woodbridge, Va./Hylton) and Michelle Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) also belted home runs and added three RBI each helping the Highlanders win their first conference championship.
 
Shifflett, senior Jenn Everhart (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley), sophomore Chelsea Kelley (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) and freshman Leigh Godfrey (Perth, Australia/Seton Catholic College) were named to the all-tournament team.

Along with the tournament accolades, several Highlanders were recognized by the conference after capturing the regular season championship and tournament’s top seed. Kelley and Godrey were named Pitcher and Freshman of the Year. Kelley, Godfrey, Shifflett, Himan and freshman Nichole Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) garnered first-team honors, while Everhart and sophomore Shannon Keefe (Lemont Township, Ill./Lemont) were on the second team.

Long Ball Rallies Radford Past Campbell to Win First NCAA Tournament Game

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Radford scored six unanswered runs, courtesy of four home runs, two by freshman Leigh Godfrey (Perth, Australia/Seton Catholic College), to defeat Campbell, 9-5 to earn its first NCAA Tournament win. It also marked the first NCAA tournament victory for any Radford athletic team.
 
Radford struck for two runs in the top of the first on a RBI single by freshman Nichole Beall (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County). Beall scored on the next pitch when she stole third and scooted home when the throw went into left.
 
Sophomore Kristen Shifflett (Charlottesville,Va./Monticello), who scored on the single, crossed the dish for the 50th time this season. It marks the first time in program history, two Highlanders have scored 50-plus runs in the same season.
 
The Camels took the lead with a three-run second on a pair of RBI singles by Brittany Stanley and Robin Leathers, sandwiching a successful double steal when the tag for the third out at second was missed.

The Highlanders tied it in the third taking advantage of two Camel errors, the second with two outs, allowing Godfrey to tally Radford’s third run of the contest. She singled earlier in the frame, extending her hitting streak to 14 games.
 
Karlie Love quickly gave the Camels their lead back with a two-run bomb to right in the bottom of the third.
 
Back-to-back long balls by Godfrey and Shifflett to start the fifth knotted the game at 5-5. The Highlanders threatened to take the lead with runners on second and third, but a fly ball to left ended the rally.

Campbell forged a potential rally in the bottom half of the fifth, putting runners on first and third with no outs, but sophomore Chelsea Kelley (Roanoke, Va./Cave Spring) reentered and got out of the jam. She struck out the first batter and induced a slow roller to short for two quick outs. After an intentional walk, Kelley stuck out Katie Hinton for the final out.
 
With two outs in the sixth, Godfrey put Radford ahead for the first time since the first inning with her second round tripper of the game to leftcenter. It was her first multi-homer game of the season and the fourth for the Highlanders.

Radford tacked on three insurance runs to push its lead to 9-5 in the seventh. Two of those came on sophomore Shannon Keefe’s (Lemont Township, Ill./Lemont) two-run shot over the scoreboard in the left.
 
The teams traded blows in the third, each tallying three runs. The Tar Heels jumped on top 3-0 with a two-out rally. The first run came across on a RBI single Brittany McKinney. Emily Troup launched what at first was a three-run home run to left. However, Troup was out for not touching home plate and the fourth run did not count.

The Highlanders got some two-out magic of their own in the bottom half of the frame. With senior Jenn Everhart (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley) on second courtesy of a walk and a steal, Godfrey laced a double off the wall in right. A few pitches later, Shifflett hit a mammoth home run deep into the leftfield tree tying the game.
 
In the six-run sixth, Lisa Norris and Danielle Spaulding highlighted it with three-run and two-run two-out home runs. All six runs were unearned.

Shifflett went yard for the second time of the game, hitting a opposite shot over the rightcenterfield fence in the sixth. It was her 16th of the season and third of the regional.


ACADEMICS
Radford University offers a challenging environment where every student can discover new talents, develop leadership skills and experience personal growth. The Honors Academy, a Center of Excellence, welcomes talented students who strive to be at the top of their class and provides the resources they need to reach their goals. With 153 undergraduate and graduate program options, service learning, research and study abroad opportunities, internships and pre-professional programs, RU believes you deserve academic choices.

ACTIVITIES
Want to get involved? You can start with more than 200 clubs and organizations, including academic clubs, outdoor clubs, national honor fraternities and Greek associations. Join a team -- RU has club and intramural sports and NCAA Division I athletics, which includes eight men’s and 11 women’s sports. If that’s not enough, there’s campus lectures, movies, performances, festivals and concerts from big names like Outkast, Matchbox 20 and Fuel. Need more choices?

ARTS
The arts are alive and exciting at RU. Opportunities for self-expression and creativity abound with music, dance, visual arts, theater and interior and fashion design. The choices are yours.