GREENSBORO, N.C. – Gardner-Webb fell 13-6 on Saturday at North Carolina A&T in both teams' regular season baseball finale at War Memorial Stadium.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (22-34, 10-13 Big South) will await official seeding for the upcoming 2022 Ingles Big South Conference Baseball Championship.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead on
Alec Burns' 14th home run of the season, but saw the Aggies score three runs in the second, three in the sixth, two in the seventh and four in the ninth to pull away.
Jacob Marcos again led off the game by reaching base and, after a fielder's choice allowed
AJ Jones to reach, Burns launched the first pitch he saw deep over the left field fence for the early lead. North Carolina A&T scored a run in the bottom of the first to cut the lead in half, then plated three in the second to take a 4-2 lead.
Daegan Brady kept his bat hot in the fourth with a leadoff double into the gap in right center and scored on an error to trim the Aggies' lead to 4-3. Marcos supplied the spark to pull even, leading off the fifth inning with a double down the line in right and stole second quickly. Marcos scored on an RBI single from Jones to knot the score.
The home team took the lead for good with its three-run burst in the sixth and pushed the lead to 9-4 after scoring a pair of runs in the seventh. A two-run home run by Brady in the eighth cut the lead to 9-6, but the Aggies scored four runs on just two hits in the bottom half for that final margin.
Carson Yates roped a pinch hit single in the top of the ninth to get on base, but the Runnin' Bulldogs could not get any closer.
Starter
Luke Osteen (0-4) took the mound loss for GWU, allowing four runs (two earned) in 1.2 innings pitched. Gardner-Webb rapped out 11 hits with Brady (2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI),
Curtis Robison (2-for-4) and Jones (2-for-4) leading the charge.
Gardner-Webb's official seeding is yet to be announced, but the Runnin' Bulldogs will likely face No. 3 UNC Asheville on Wednesday at 3:00 pm in the second game of opening day at the 2022 Ingles Big South Baseball Championship in High Point, N.C.
The tournament is being played at Truist Point, home of the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League.
