Timely Hits Lift @GWUBaseball To 5-3 Win Over Winthrop In Thursday Nightcap
May 19, 2016 | Baseball
@GWUBaseball | Game InfoGraphic | @BigSouthBase
BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb plated three runs in a decisive fourth inning and held off Winthrop for a 5-3 win in the nightcap of Thursday's key Big South Conference doubleheader.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (36-18, 14-9 Big South) and Eagles (27-25, 11-12 Big South) will wrap up the three-game set on Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm (ESPN3/WatchESPN.com). Mike Hogewood and Nate Ross will call the action from John Henry Moss Stadium/Bill Masters Field.
After allowing an unearned run in the top of the first to fall behind, Gardner-Webb took advantage of a Winthrop error and a wild pitch to kick start its offense and tie the game in the bottom half.
Taylor Fisher reached on a fielding error to lead off and moved to second when the ball got away at first. He trotted over to third on a wild pitch and scored on a deep sacrifice fly by Paul Trick to knot the score.
Collin Thacker and Danny Sullivan followed with hard two-out singles, but were stranded.
Justin Kunz led off the fourth inning with a single, but Eagles starter Thad Harris nearly worked out of the inning after getting a pair of quick outs. Patrick Graham kept the frame alive with a single to center field and Mason Fox rolled an infield single into the hole at shortstop to drive home Kunz for a 2-1 lead.
After Blair Huggins was hit to load the bases, Matt Simmons looped a two-run single just over the bag at second base to drive home Graham and Fox for a 4-1 advantage.
Neither team scored again until the seventh, when the Eagles posted some two-out magic to pull within a run. Brandon Fite roped a two-out single to center and moved up a base when Anthony Paulson followed suit. Roger Gonzalez nearly tied the game, hammering a pitch off the top of the fence in left for a two-run double that trimmed the lead to 4-3. The smash missed leaving the park by less than two feet.
Gardner-Webb starter Jeremy Walker composed himself, however, getting a strikeout to end the threat.
The Runnin' Bulldogs got a run back in the bottom of the seventh, taking advantage of a leadoff walk to Trick and a hustle bunt single from Kunz that saw him beat the Eagles' pitcher in a race to the first base bag. An error kept the inning alive, allowing Trick to score from third for a 5-3 lead.
Andrew Massey came on to work through the eighth inning without incident for Gardner-Webb. Freshman Tyler Johnson came in for the ninth and got a quick first out on a ground ball, but after a walk – GWU went to Wil Sellers once more in a pinch.
Sellers got a pair of ground balls on five pitches to earn his second save of the day – and 12th of the season.
Walker (9-4) earned the win, working 7.0 innings and allowing just two earned runs on nine hits. He fanned six and walked three.
Gardner-Webb had nine hits in the game, with Thacker (2-for-4) and Kunz (2-for-4, run) leading the way. Sullivan (1-for-4), Graham (1-for-4, run), Fox (1-for-4, RBI) and Simmons (1-for-4, 2 RBI) also had hits for the home team.
Winthrop's Harris (6-4) took the loss, despite allowing just three earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched. He fanned three and did not issue a walk, while scattering eight hits. Thomas Williams worked 2.1 innings and did not allow an earned run in relief.
The Eagles had 10 hits in the nightcap, with Tyler Asbill (2-for-5), Paulson (2-for-4, run) and Gonzalez (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) heading up the box score.
