BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Baseball opened their league schedule against Longwood with a doubleheader on Saturday winning both over Longwood. GWU won the first by a 1-0 scoreline and overcame an early deficit in the second to take the 6-4 victory.
 
In the first game, Bobby Alcock had the start on the mound and pitched one of the best games of his career as he went 8.0 innings and struck out 12 batters. Each of these were career-highs for Alcock. Within the Big South, this was third-longest a pitcher has gone and the second-most strikeouts in a single game. He surrendered three hits and two walks in the outing as well to cap off back-to-back shutouts wins for him.
 
At the start of the game, Gardner-Webb put runners in scoring position in both the second and third each with two outs but were unable to bring someone home keeping the game scoreless through the first four both ways.
 
In the fifth, Gardner-Webb got the first run of the day for either team. Jacob Marcos had a leadoff single through the right side off the starter Logan Berrier. The Lancers made a pitching change and put Guillermo Garcia on the mound with Curtis Robison up to bat. Robison belted the ball to right field for a double as Marcos sped his way around the bags from first to score the first of the day for the 'Dogs.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs had Alec Burns get walked to put runners on first and second with no outs but were unable to do more damage as the next three batters were retired.
 
Alcock continued to work through the Lancers' lineup as he kept them off the board. He recorded his 12^th K of the day with his final one as he got Gregory Ryan looking to move the game into the bottom of the 8^th.
 
Dalton Wood came on in relief to get the save and after Longwood put runners on first and second with one out. Drayven Kowalski came to the plate with the potential tying run on second and winning run on first, but he sent the ball right to Pete Capobianco who kickstarted the double play that ended the game.
 
Robison ended the game with three hits, matching the total that he had against St. Bonaventure last Saturday. Marcos added two hits as well with Bo Rusher III having one himself along with a pair of walks.
 
In game two, Gardner-Webb got on the board in the first inning. Marcos had a leadoff single and Burns' hit moved him over to third. Jacob McCaskey grounded into a fielders choice that brought Marcos home, but a throwing error by the pitcher led to everyone being safe.
 
In the third, each team had an opportunity for a home run that they were robbed of. Longwood's Hayden Harris was robbed by Nate Anderson in left field off a high-leaping catch for the second out. GWU's Burns hit a flyball to right field that got carried by the wind just over the wall that Quincy Sippio brought back after a web gem of his own to end the inning.
 
Each team had a big fourth inning as they combined to score seven runs. Longwood's Kowalski opened it up with a two-out single through the right side to tie the game. Sippio then tripled to right to bring home a pair of runners and take a 3-1 lead.
 
McCaskey got a run back as he had a leadoff homer banged to left. Mark Black got on a base with a double with Anderson having a base hit to right to tie it back up. Capobianco gave GWU the lead back with an RBI double. Rusher grounded out for the first of the inning, but moved Capobianco over to third. Ryan Kennell belted his first pitch up the middle for an RBI and hold a 5-3 lead at the end of the fourth.
 
The Lancers drew within one as Ryan hit a solo shot to left field.
 
Tyler Switalski went six innings and in his final inning of work, he issued a walk, but struck out the other three batters to finish with nine on the day to tie his season high. He allowed seven hits and a walk.
 
In the sixth, GWU got added a run onto their lead off a Robison single that scored pinch-runner Nick Capozzi.
 
Grant Vera pitched the 7^th only allowing one hit and Phil Fox took it for the 8^th. He pitched himself out of a jam with runners on the corner with two outs. Connor Maggi closed the game and got the save, striking out of the final pair of batters to seal the win.
 
Gardner-Webb had every batter that had multiple at bats record a hit. Kennell and Robison each had two hits as McCaskey led the team with two RBIs.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs will return to action tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 p.m. looking to sweep Longwood in the opening weekend for Big South action.