Diamond 'Dogs Drop 10-2 Decision To Liberty Saturday Afternoon
April 25, 2009 | Baseball
BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb stranded 14 runners Saturday
afternoon, and Liberty plated five runs in the top of the ninth to
put away a 10-2 win over the Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb (21-17, 10-7 Big South) had its six-game league
winning streak snapped, and had trouble finding clutch hits against
the first-place Flames (28-13, 15-4 Big South). GWU finished just
3-for-17 with runners in scoring position on the afternoon.
Twice, in the seventh and eighth innings, GWU had the bases loaded
and the tying run at the plate with one out. Both times, Liberty's
mound men were able to work out of the jam still leading 5-1.
Liberty jumped on top 3-0 in the top of the first, taking advantage
of two walks and a hit batter – as Tyler Bream singled home
two of those runs.
Bream, the son of former Atlanta Brave and Pittsburgh Pirate Sid
Bream, struck again in the third, belting a two-run double to left
center for a 5-0 Liberty lead. Gardner-Webb finally got on the
board in the fourth, with Ty Boyles' driving home a run with a
sacrifice fly – but the ‘Dogs would threaten very little
until loading the bags in the seventh and eighth.
Liberty starter Shawn Teufel (7-1) was magnificent in picking up
the win, allowing just one run on six hits through 6.1 innings of
work. The son of former major league utility man Tim Teufel fanned
eight GWU batters and walked just four.
The Flames put a close game away in the top of the ninth, touching
the GWU bullpen for five runs, four earned, to go up 10-1. Tim
Rotola's first home run of the season, a two-run shot, completed
the scoring for the visitors.
Gardner-Webb got an RBI single from Matt Rizzuto in the bottom half
for its final run of the day.
Brett Stackhouse (4-4) took the loss, allowing five runs on six
hits through 6.0 innings of work (four walks).
Gardner-Webb had nine hits, with Rizzuto (2-for-4, RBI) Jon Ahearn
(2-for-4), Daniel Cooke (2-for-4, run) and Kurt Fulginiti (2-for-5)
combining for eight of those.
Bream went 4-for-4 with six RBI and a run scored to pace Liberty's
11-hit attack. Cody Brown went 3-for-4 with an RBI double as well.
Rotola went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, and also cut a
GWU runner down at the plate from right field.
The series' rubber match will be played on Sunday at 1 pm ET on
Masters Field.
| Box Score (PDF) |
