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BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb plated four runs in the second inning of Saturday's opener and held on for a 4-2 win over Iona for their sixth win of the young season.

Trailing 1-0, the Runnin' Bulldogs (6-0) sent eight men to the plate in the second inning. Danny Sullivan, Collin Thacker, Matt Simmons and Patrick Graham led off the frame with four consecutive singles – and Graham's knock drove home Sullivan for a 1-0 lead. Chandler Redmond provided the big blow, ripping a two-run double into right to score Thacker and Simmons for a 3-0 lead – and Blair Huggins drove in the fourth run of the inning with an RBI grounder. Iona starter Jared Finkel ended the inning with a strikeout and a pop up, but Gardner-Webb had taken the lead for good.

Iona (0-2), which got an RBI double from Travis Mistretta in the top of the first to drive home Matt Byrne for a 1-0 lead – pulled within 4-2 in the top of the third. Byrne was again the catalyst, bunting for a single to lead off and stealing second quickly. A fly ball by Sean Breen moved Byrne to third and Mistretta drew a walk to put two on board with one away. After Mistretta stole third, Lou Matarazzo grounded out to third – but drove home Byrne in the process for the Gaels' second run.

GWU starter Jeremy Walker would limit the damage from there, getting a ground ball to end the inning. Walker settled down for the remainder of his outing, retiring Iona in order in the fourth and the fifth before exiting on a pitch count.

Relief ace Wil Sellers took over from there, allowing just one infield hit over the final 4.0 innings – and fanning seven batters – to finish the game.

Walker (2-0) allowed two runs on three hits and fanned four to pick up his second win of the season. Sellers work gave him his first save of the year as well. The Kings Mountain, N.C., sophomore needed just 54 pitches to get through his four innings of work.

Gardner-Webb had seven hits in the game, with Thacker (2-for-2) and Redmond (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI) leading the way. Sullivan (1-for-4, run), Simmons (1-for-3, run) and Graham (1-for-3, run, RBI) also had safeties for the 'Dogs.

Finkel (0-1) took the loss for Iona, allowing four runs on six hits in 5.0 innings pitched. The junior fanned four and walked one. Reliever Joe DeRose was solid, hurling 3.0 scoreless innings out of the pen.

Iona had four hits in the game, with four different batters collecting one each.