@GWUBaseball  |  Game InfoGraphic  |  @BigSouthBase

GREENSBORO – Collin Thacker's RBI sacrifice fly in the fifth inning provided enough run support for a strong pitching performance, as Gardner-Webb blanked North Carolina A&T, 1-0, Wednesday afternoon.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (9-0) continued to build on the best start in the program's Division I history, posting their third shutout of the season in the process.

Freshman southpaw Aaron Stewart made his first start and shined, firing 5.0 shutout innings and striking out seven for the victory.

Stewart (1-0) walked a pair of batters to start the bottom of the first, but rolled a ground ball that resulted in a 5-4-3-5 triple play – the first officially recorded play of its type in the program's senior college history.

The Marshville, N.C., native settled in from there, allowing just three hits and walking only one more batter the rest of the way. Stewart retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth and exited after allowing a leadoff single in the sixth.

Freshman righty Tyler Johnson came out of the pen and recorded three quick outs – a strikeout, a ground ball to second and a line drive to second base – to end the inning. Johnson recorded two more outs in the seventh, but North Carolina A&T (1-7) took advantage of a walk and an error to get the go-ahead run on base.

Relief ace Wil Sellers came on from there, striking out the first batter he faced to end the brief threat. Sellers pitched around another error – with a strikeout – to get through a quick eighth inning, and struck out the side in the ninth for his second save in the past five days.

The Kings Mountain, N.C., sophomore needed only 32 pitches to get through his 2.1 innings of relief. The three GWU hurlers needed only 118 pitches in the game and threw 72 strikes.

Gardner-Webb outhit the Aggies 6-3, with Tyler Best (2-for-3, run) the lone man with more than one safety. Best worked a four-pitch walk to lead off the decisive fifth inning and moved all the way to third base on a pair of passed balls – setting up Thacker's sacrifice fly to provide the winning margin.

Paul Trick (1-for-3), Thacker (1-for-2, RBI), Matt Simmons (1-for-2, 2B) and Jacob Walker (1-for-3) had the other hits for Gardner-Webb. The 'Dogs also drew five walks, but did not take full advantage – stranding 10 runners on the afternoon.

Thacker extended his team-best hit streak to nine games with an early single.

North Carolina A&T starter Will Greene (0-2) took his second loss of the season, scattering six hits and allowing just one unearned run in 6.0 innings. Greene fanned seven GWU batters and walked three.

Myles Sowell had two of the Aggies' three hits, including a double.

Gardner-Webb will return home for a four-game series with Rider this weekend. The opener is set for 4:00 pm Friday at John Henry Moss Stadium/Bill Masters Field. Senior right-hander Brad Haymes is set to take the hill for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

GWU will host the Broncs again on Saturday, with a doubleheader beginning at Noon. The four-game set wraps up on Sunday with a 1:00 pm game.