Diamond 'Dogs Snap Skid With 14-11 Win Over Jacksonville In Series Finale
April 14, 2007 | Baseball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Gardner-Webb rapped out 19 hits and got
timely pitching from its bullpen late in the game to beat
Jacksonville, 14-11, and snap an eight-game losing streak.
"We are extremely glad to have the monkey off our back," head coach
Rusty Stroupe said of his team's recent slide. "I hope this helps
teach our guys never to forget how to win. This was sweet."
Gardner-Webb (14-25, 4-11 A-Sun) staked itself to a 6-1 lead with
seven hits and six runs in the bottom of the second, but
Jacksonville ran off nine unanswered runs - scoring two in the
third, four in the fourth and three more in the fifth to seemingly
put the game away.
Daniel Cooke belted a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the
fifth, cutting the Dolphins' lead to 10-7, and Justin Loyd followed
with a sharp double that chased reliever Glenn Witkowski from the
game. A Nate MacDonald single put runners on the corners with one
out, bringing the tying run - Josh Drewery - to the plate. Drewery
flew out deep to center to drive in Loyd from third, cutting the
lead to 10-8, and pinch hitter Jeremiah Lokken tripled off the wall
in right to drive in a run and pull GWU to within 10-9.
An infield hit by Jay McConnell plated Lokken and tied the game,
but reliever Josh Burrows got out of the jam with the game tied,
10-10.
An RBI fielder's choice by Drewery in the top of the sixth was
followed by an RBI double from Lokken to put GWU up 12-10. The
Bulldogs would not trail again in the game.
Jacksonville's Ryan McCardle cut the lead 12-11 with a solo home
run to lead off the eighth, but reliever Jonathon Ban - who was the
team's best pitcher all day long - got a double play to get out of
the jam still in front.
Cooke singled and later scored on a wild pitch in the eighth, and
Nate MacDonald drove in Jamall Kinard with his fourth hit of the
game for the final margin.
Drewery came on to close out the game, retiring Jacksonville in
order and ending the contest with a three-pitch strikeout of Thomas
LePage.
Cooke and MacDonald both went 4-for-4 at the plate to pace
Gardner-Webb's offensive production. Kinard went 3-for-4, while
Lokken (2-for-3) and Loyd (2-for-4) also had multi-hit games. Shea
Harris (1-for-2) had a two-run single in the second inning for
GWU.
Ban (3-3) got the win in a magnificent performance. The Marietta,
Ga., sophomore scattered five hits and allowed just one run in 4.0
innings of work, fanning five Dolphins (no walks). Drewery's save
was his second of the season.
Jacksonville managed 15 hits in the finale, with McCardle (3-for-5,
HR, 5 RBI) and Logan James (3-for-5) pacing that effort.
Burrows (1-1) took the loss, allowing two runs and two hits in 0.2
innings of work out of the bullpen. JU starter Matt Dobbins, the
2006 A-Sun Pitcher of the Year, lasted just 1.2 innings and
surrendered six earned runs.
GAME ONE: Jacksonville 5, GWU 4
The visitors held on for their second one-run win of the weekend in
Saturday's double dip opener, beating GWU 5-4.
Jacksonville went up 2-0 in the top of the second, as Matt Lopez
hit a two-run home run to left - his first of the season - off of
GWU starter Ben Campbell.
Gardner-Webb cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, with
Drewery plating Cooke with an RBI hit.
Jacksonville jumped on top 4-1 with two runs and four hits in the
top of the sixth, but Gardner-Webb answered with a pair in the
bottom of the same inning - loading the bases with no outs. A
double play nearly thwarted the inning, but McConnell's ground ball
did allow a run to score. Drewery's infield single drove in Cooke
to trim the lead to 4-3, but that would be the team's last run
until the ninth.
Jacksonville added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a
squeeze bunt by Lopez to go up 5-3, but GWU would have a little
more in the tank. Matt Rizzuto hit the first pitch Matt Davis threw
in the bottom of the ninth out of the park to trim the score to
5-4, but Davis recovered to get out pinch hitters Joey Testa and
O.J. McFarland. Davis plunked Kinard to put the tying run on board
with two outs. A failed pickoff attempt moved Kinard to second, but
Cooke grounded out to third base to end the game.
Gardner-Webb collected 10 hits in the game, but went just 2-for-7
with runners in scoring position and stranded seven runners to
Jacksonville's four. Drewery went 3-for-4 to lead Gardner-Webb at
the plate.
Jacksonville rapped out an efficient 11 hits, with Lopez (2-for-3,
3B, HR, 3 RBI) and Donnie Vickers (2-for-4) leading the way.
Campbell (3-4) took the loss for GWU, while Matt Gardner (5-2)
picked up the victory. Davis picked up his sixth save of the
season.
Gardner-Webb will play at UNC Asheville on Tuesday, April 17, at 3
pm ET.
NOTES
- Gardner-Webb's 14 runs in the nightcap were more runs than the Bulldogs had scored in their previous seven games combined in April (13 runs)
- Daniel Cooke finished the weekend series with Jacksonville on a tear, going 8-for-13 with a triple, home run, five runs scored and three RBI in three games. Cooke, a two-sport standout who totaled 13 tackles vs. Jacksonville in a Sept. 2, 2006 football game with the Dolphins (49-14 GWU win), has fared well against the 'Phins in both sports.
- Jonathon Ban's performance Saturday was just what the doctor ordered for the GWU bullpen. The big righty worked a total of 6.2 innings in the two games, allowing just two runs and striking out nine batters (no walks).
| GAME ONE BOX: JU 5, GWU 4 |
| GAME TWO BOX: GWU 14, JU 11 |
