RADFORD, VA. – Sophomore Danyelle Gerdts (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy) hit the game tying homerun in the seven inning and freshman Allison Cantrell (McDonough, Ga./Eagle's Landing) followed with the game-winning single in the seventh as Coastal Carolina's softball team (22-21, 6-4 Big South) won a thrilling come from behind victory over Radford University (33-22, 5-3 Big South), 4-3, on a cold and blustery snowy afternoon on Sunday, April 24 in Radford, Va. Coastal lost the first game of the doubleheader 4-2.

The second game did not start well for the Lady Chanticleers as Radford freshman Ashley Carlson doubled with out in the first inning. Senior Ashley Smith followed with a single through the right side, that drove in Carlson for the first Radford run of the game.

RU added another run in the third inning, as freshmen Cassie Rhodes reached base and advanced to second on an error. She was then sacrificed to third and came into score the game's second run on a wild pitch.

In the CCU fifth, Coastal got on the board, sophomore Kristina Sheppard ( Galveston, Texas/Ball) doubled with one out,. She took third on a Carla Hood (Marion, S.C./Marion) single and came in score the first Coastal run on the Danyelle Gerdts single up the middle. A Cantrell bases loaded walk tied the game up at 2 as junior Sara Hostetler (Albuquerque, N.M/Valley) scored. Meagen Johnson (Georgetown, S.C./Georgetown (Furman)), with the bases still loaded, smashed a ball back up through the middle that Radford pitcher, Ashley Taylor, was able to glove as a survival instinct to keep the game tied at two all.

The Highlanders took the one-run lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the sixth inning on an Ashley Smith homerun to centerfield.

Coastal started its game-winning come back in the top of the seventh inning, as Danyelle Gerdts crushed a homerun to leftfield with one out to tie the game up at 3 all. CCU continue to battle as senior Delane Grainger (Scottsdale, Ariz/ Chapparal (Phoenix College)) singled to rightfield. After a Hostetler groundout advanced her to second, Cantrell drilled a ball into right centerfield to score Grainger for the game-winning run.

Johnson picked up her third win of the weekend, and seventh win of the season, by going all seven inning and only allowing three runs while striking out seven. The loss in the second game went to Ashley Smith, whose record is now 10-10 this season.

In the first game Radford struck first as three straight singles by Lara Wohlgemuth, Ashley Carlson and Ashley Smith opened the game. The Smith single scored Wohlgemuth for the first run of the afternoon. The damage could of been worse if not for an inning ending double play started by Cantrell on pop up and a heady throw to the plate to nab a charging Ashley Carlson, who was attempting to tag up and score on the deep pop out.

Radford added to its lead in the fourth inning, as a double by Shannon Rector drove in Amanda Walling for the game's second run.

RU added another run in the fifth inning as an Amanda Taylor single to the shortstop drove in Wohlgemuth for the third Radford run of the game.

Coastal cut the lead to one, 3-2, on the long two-run homerun off the bat of Johnson in the top of the sixth inning.

Radford got one of the runs back in the bottom of the sixth, Ashley Smith singled in Cassie Rhodes for the fourth and final Radford run of the game.

Junior Brittany Nelson (Flower Mound, Texas/Marcus) saw her record drop to 12-7 with the loss, while Radford's Brianna Felix picked up win number 22 with the victory.

Coastal Carolina will continue its road travels as it heads to Wilmington, N.C. to take on UNC-Wilmington in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 26 at 4 p.m.