TROY, Ala. – Gardner-Webb gave up a season-high 16 base hits, while only managing four hits offensively to go on to fall to Troy by a 6-4 score in the first game of the weekend series Friday night.
 
Gardner-Webb (10-4) had just six base hits on the evening, with half of them taking place in the seventh innings.  Troy (9-5) rapped out 16 base knocks, the most allowed this season by the Runnin' Bulldogs, with only two being for extra bases, both doubles.
 
The Trojans got on the board early, pushing two runs across in the first inning.  Matt Sanders reached on a single up the middle, immediately followed by a ground-rule double by Joey Denison to put a pair of runners in scoring position with one out.
 
Sanders scored during the following at-bat on a wild pitch by GWU starter Landon Mitchell and Denison was plated on a RBI single through the right side by Prestegard.
 
Troy added an additional run in the second on a RBI single to center field by Sanders.
 
The Diamond 'Dogs got on the board in the top of the third.  Mason Fox was able to draw a walk from Troy starter Andrew Crane to lead off the frame, which was promptly followed by a first-pitch knock to center field by Mickey Dugan that sent Fox to third base.
 
Chris Clary then drove a fly ball deep into right field that allowed Fox to easily score GWU's first run, setting the score at 3-1.
 
Troy added a run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, with each run coming from a RBI single.
 
Gardner-Webb began to fight back in the top of the seventh inning, loading the bases with no outs after a base knock by Eric Jones.  Reliever Corey Childress, who came in at the top of the inning, settled down and retired the next two batters on strikes.
 
Dugan then stepped up and crushed the ball to deep right field, clearing the bases for his second triple of the season, bringing GWU back within two runs at 6-4.
 
Ryan Fultz was brought in to replace Childress on the mound, who then walked Clary and Taber Mongero to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Corey Howard, but with a full count Fultz was able to get a called third strike on Howard to end the inning and stop Gardner-Webb's last scoring threat of the contest.
 
Dugan (2-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI) and Kunz (2-for-4) led Gardner-Webb at the plate, each having multiple base hits for the evening.
 
Sanders (3-for-5, RBI) and Denison (3-for-4, 2B, RBI) paced the Trojan offense.
 
Crane (2-1) earned the win for Troy, lasting 6.0 innings while allowing just one run on two base hits.  He also fanned six batters.  CJ Carter earned his second save of the season, striking out all three batters he faced in the ninth.
 
Mitchell (2-2) took the loss for Gardner-Webb, giving up five runs on 12 base hits with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings of work.  Tyler Johnson (1.0 IP, 1 ER, 1K) and Wil Sellers (2.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 K) each saw time on the mound for GWU.
 
The teams will wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon, playing a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 pm.