CULLOWHEE, N.C. --- Justin Kunz went 4-for-5 at the plate with three home runs, as Western Carolina pushed six runs across in the eighth and left Gardner-Webb with the bases loaded in the ninth to edge the Runnin' Bulldogs in a shootout, 16-14, on Wednesday evening.

The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for Gardner-Webb (17-2), while Western Carolina improves to 6-10 on the season. Seven balls left the yard – four for Gardner-Webb, three for the Catamounts – as the teams combined for 15 extra-base hits.

Kunz accounted for four of Gardner-Webb's 19 hits, launching the first three home runs of his collegiate career – all solo shots. Tyler Best and Patrick Graham each added three base knocks while Danny Sullivan and Paul Trick both drove in three runs. Matt Simmons hit his first home run of the season, as each member of the starting lineup recorded at least one hit.

Andrew Massey got the start and went five and one-third innings, allowing six runs on eight hits to go along with two strikeouts. Ryan Boelter, Tyler Johnson, and Jarrett Thompson combined for two and one-third solid innings in relief, surrendering four runs on four hits and two walks.

Gardner-Webb drew first blood in the top of the first, chasing Catamount starter Korey Anderson after he allowed four runs on five hits – including a two-run single by Trick to put the Runnin' Bulldogs up 4-0 early. The Catamounts got three runs back in the home half thanks to a three-run shot from Bryson Bowman to cut the lead to 4-3 after one.

A Best sac fly in the second and Kunz's first bomb of the day in the fourth pushed GWU's advantage to 6-3 before Western capitalized on a wild pitch and a throwing error for two runs in the fifth.

The Catamounts took their first lead of the day in the sixth, scoring four runs to open a 9-6 margin through Danny Bermudez's two-run single. Bowman launched his second of the game – a solo shot – in the seventh to push the advantage to 10-6 heading into the eighth.

Gardner-Webb responded with a five-run eighth, cutting the lead to 10-9 after Simmons and Kunz went back-to-back to open the frame and Colin Thacker drove in Best with a double. Thacker later scored on an error to knot the score at 10 before Trick put the Runnin' Bulldogs back on top, 11-10, with an RBI single.

Western Carolina answered with six runs in the home half to reclaim the advantage on a bases-clearing triple by Kramer Ferrell.

The Runnin' Bulldogs had a chance to complete the comeback once again in the ninth, trimming the margin to 16-12 with Kunz's leadoff homer before Graham plated Taylor Fisher with a single and Thacker scored on a one-out bases-loaded walk to cut the lead to 16-14. Western's Tristan Baker quickly settled down, striking out the final two batters he faced to shut the door and leave the bases full for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

Gardner-Webb returns to the diamond on Friday when the Runnin' Bulldogs host Wofford in the first game of a weekend home-and-home series. First pitch is slated for 6:00 pm.