Gardner-Webb Loses Late Lead, Falls 9-7 To East Carolina Tuesday
May 01, 2013 | Baseball
Gardner-Webb (22-22-1) led 4-1 after six and 7-3 after seven at John Henry Moss Stadium/Bill Masters Field, but saw the Pirates (24-21) get an RBI single from Zach Houchins, an RBI grounder from Chase McDonald and a two-out, RBI double from Luke Lowery to tie the game in the eighth.
The Runnin' Bulldogs went quietly in the eighth and closer Jeff Howell sat down the Pirates in order in the ninth - but Gardner-Webb would not rally. Scott Coleman drew a one out walk in the bottom of the inning, but a double play ended the threat and sent the game into extra innings.
McDonald poked a one out single up the middle to start East Carolina's 10th-inning burst and pinch runner Jay Cannon moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Ben Fultz fought off several two-strike pitches and came through with an RBI double to right center for the go ahead run. A single by Philip Clark moved Fultz to third, and Lowery laid down an RBI bunt single for a 9-7 lead.
Howell got a strikeout to end the frame with his team down only two, but East Carolina closer Drew Reynolds came on for his 11th save of the season - sitting Gardner-Webb down in order to end the game.
Howell (1-3) was tagged with the relief loss, allowing two runs on four hits in 2.0 innings of work (two strikeouts). Starter Hunter Smith was sharp in his fourth start of the season, working a career-best 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on nine hits (three strikeouts).
Ryan Williams (6-2) the Pirates' Sunday starter, came on for the relief win, hurling 2.1 shutout innings with only one hit allowed and one walk.
Gardner-Webb roughed up starter Nick Durazo early, plating three runs in the first three innings to take early control of the game. JJ Nazzaro led off the first with a double and scored on a Benji Jackson single and - after Jackson led off the fourth with a single - Brad Collins roped his 22nd double of the season to right center for a 2-1 lead. John Harris then put the 'Dogs up 3-1 with a sacrifice fly.
Nazzaro was hit by a pitch in the fifth, and came around to score on a passed ball for a 4-1 lead, but East Carolina would mount a mini rally in the top of the seventh to pull within a run.
Pinch hitter Dylan Brown roped a two-out, two-run double into the gap in right to trim the lead to 4-3, before Mitch Warner got a strikeout to end the rally.
Gardner-Webb got three runs back in the bottom half of the seventh, getting a leadoff double from Nazzaro to get things started. Nazzaro later scored on a wild pitch and - after the Pirates loaded the bases with a hit batter and a walk to Harris - Henry Rundio was plunked to put Gardner-Webb up 6-3. A two-out single from Tyler Best to second base drove home Scott Coleman for a 7-3 lead - and Ryan Hodge nearly broke the game open, but his line drive to left was tracked down to end the inning.
East Carolina managed 17 hits in the game, collecting nearly half (8) in the final 3.1 innings. Bass (2-for-6), Reinheimer (2-for-4), Reynolds (2-for-5), McDonald (2-for-5), Fultz (2-for-5), Clark (2-for-2) and Lowery (2-for-3) each had multi-hit evenings.
Gardner-Webb had 10 hits, with Nazzaro (2-for-4, 3 runs, 2 2B), Jackson (2-for-3, 2 runs, RBI) and Collins (2-for-5, 2B, RBI) leading the way.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will be back in action on Saturday, hosting North Carolina Central in a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 pm. The games will air live on the Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com) and WGWG-FM (88.3 / wgwg.org).
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