BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb dropped both ends of Saturday's doubleheader with Dartmouth, falling 1-0 in the opener and 11-7 in the nightcap.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (3-9) and Big Green (3-3) will play the series finale on Sunday at Noon at Bill Masters Field. The game will stream live on ESPN+.
Gardner-Webb fell in a seven-inning affair to open things Saturday, a game that lasted less than two hours.
Dartmouth's Nathan Skinner hurled a complete-game shutout for the win, striking out six with no walks while scattering four hits. He needed only 90 pitches to finish the gem.
Gardner-Webb got a sharp leadoff single in the first from
Jacob Marcos, and hit several balls hard on a line throughout the game – but right at Big Green defenders. Dartmouth got the only run it needed in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tyler Cox.
Tyler Robinson led off that frame with a bunt single that proved fateful when the ball was fielded and thrown into right field for an error – allowing Robinson to scurry down to second base. A grounder to the right side moved Robinson to third and Cox hit the first pitch he saw to deep right for the lead.
Gardner-Webb threatened in the bottom half of the fifth when
Alec Burns singled up the middle and moved to third on a one-out double to left by
AJ Jones. Skinner recovered with a strikeout and got an amazing defensive play in left from Robinson to preserve the lead. Marcos roped a 3-1 pitch to deep left center with two outs, but Robinson dove into the gap for a catch that ended the inning and prevented two runs from scoring.
The Diamond 'Dogs went down in order in the sixth and, after another single from Burns, saw the game end when a pinch runner was picked off by Skinner.
Burns led Gardner-Webb's four-hit attack (2-for-4), with Jones and Marcos collecting the rest.
Drew Janssen pitched around some control problems, allowing just one unearned run in the loss. He fanned two, scattered three hits and threw 58 pitches in 4.0 innings of work. Michael Portella came on to throw 3.0 scoreless frames to keep Gardner-Webb alive.
Dartmouth left eight men on base and saw Cox go 2-for-2 with an RBI to lead a three-hit attack.
GAME TWO: Dartmouth 11, Gardner-Webb 7
The Big Green jumped out to an early lead, scoring seven runs in its first three at bats to pace an 11-7 win in the day's final game.
Dartmouth rapped out 15 hits, including seven for extra bases, to power the win. Gardner-Webb attempted a late comeback, but left 10 men on base.
Trailing 10-2 after five, GWU struck for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to tighten the score.
Curtis Robison led off with a double and scored on an RBI single by
Bo Rusher III.
Benino Mendella then ripped a two-run bomb to left, cutting the lead to 10-5. It was Mendella's second home run of the series.
Gardner-Webb got a solo home run from Robison in the seventh and plated another run when Mendella drove home Robison in the ninth with an infield single. The 'Dogs left the bases loaded in the ninth, as Dartmouth relief ace Cole Roland came on with the tying run on deck to close the door.
Cox was again the star offensively for Dartmouth, going 3-for-6 with four RBI. Three other Big Green batters had two hits in the game. Lefty Trystan Scarcone fanned four batters over 5.1 innings for the win and Roland picked up the save with a strikeout.
Gardner-Webb starter
Lenny Washington (0-1) took the mound loss, allowing five runs on six hits in 1.2 innings of work. The Runnin' Bulldogs used four pitchers in the game.
Robison (3-for-5, HR, 2 2B, RBI) led Gardner-Webb's 11-hit offensive effort, with Pete Capobianco (2-for-5, RBI) and Mendella (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) also collecting multiple hits.
