@GWUBaseball  |  Game InfoGraphic  |  @BigSouthBase

BOILING SPRINGS – Senior ace Brad Haymes hurled a five-hit shutout Friday night to key Gardner-Webb's 1-0 win over Charleston Southern in a critical Big South Conference series opener.

The Runnin' Bulldogs (27-14, 6-7 Big South) improved to 8-0 in series openers at John Henry Moss Stadium/Bill Masters Field this season. Haymes (8-1) factored into all but one of those decisions himself – a no decision in the season opener – and has gone 7-0 in his last seven starts at home.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound righty scattered five hits (four singles), struck out 10 batters and walked just one in his second consecutive shutout and third consecutive complete game. Haymes leads NCAA Division I with six 9.0-inning complete games this season. It was his third shutout against Big South competition.

He needed exactly 100 pitches to complete the job.

Haymes set the tone early, striking out two batters in the first inning, another in the second and two more in the third after allowing a leadoff single. He retired seven in a row before allowing another single in the fifth – and struck out the final two batters he faced that inning to strand a pair of runners.

Gardner-Webb got the run support it would need in the sixth when Taylor Fisher legged out a triple to right field to lead off the frame. Justin Kunz drove him in when his bloop double landed in left center for a 1-0 lead. A ground ball moved Kunz to third and Collin Thacker walked to put men on the corners, but Charleston Southern ace Evan Raynor rolled a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning before anything else crossed the plate.

Charleston Southern got a leadoff double from Brandon Gragilla in the seventh, but he was picked off second base after a foiled bunt attempt. A strikeout was followed by Kevin Hickey's third single of the night to put two men on with two outs – but Haymes got a five-pitch strikeout to end the threat.

After Haymes retired the side in order in the eighth, Gardner-Webb got another leadoff hit from Fisher, this time a single, but a line drive by Thacker to left was caught to end the inning. Haymes sat the Bucs down in order in the ninth to end the game.

The Tightsqueeze, Va., native is 3-0 with an 0.00 ERA, three complete game shutouts, 34 strikeouts and only three walks in his three league starts at John Henry Moss Stadium/Bill Masters Field in 2016.

Gardner-Webb had five hits in the game Friday, with Fisher (2-for-4, 3B, run) the lead man. Kunz (1-for-3, 2B, RBI), Tyler Best (1-for-4) and Paul Trick (1-for-3) also had knocks.

Raynor (4-4), who entered and exited Friday's game with a sub-2.00 ERA, went the distance for Charleston Southern (15-24, 3-10 Big South), taking a hard-luck decision after scattering five hits, striking out seven and walking three.

The Bucs also had five hits, with Hickey (3-for-3) pacing that effort. Gragilla (1-for-4, 2B) and Ryan Maksim (1-for-3) also collected base hits on Friday night for the visitors.

The two teams will get back to action on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 pm. The afternoon is being promoted as Field of Dreams Day at John Henry Moss Stadium/Bill Masters Field, with a parent/child game of catch with Gardner-Webb players scheduled after the game ends on Masters Field.

The game will air live on The Big South Network (bigsouthsports.com).