CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Gardner-Webb hit four home runs Tuesday night at North Carolina, but the Runnin' Bulldogs lost a 5-4 battle with the Tar Heels.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (27-20) started a five-game road swing on Tuesday and – by the time the team returns home to face Charleston Southern on May 18 – will have played 17 of its previous 19 games away from home.
North Carolina (30-17) took its first lead of the ninth with a two-run home run by Mac Horvath in the bottom of the third, but Gardner-Webb answered with a big fourth inning.
After a ground out to start the frame,
Alec Burns,
Trevor Mattson and
Humberto Torres went back-to-back-to-back to push Gardner-Webb in front.
The Tar Heels scratched a run across in the sixth with a sacrifice squeeze bunt by Reese Holbrook to tie the game and Gardner-Webb's bullpen kept the home team off the board until the eighth inning.
Torres proved to be the hottest bat on Tuesday, belting a leadoff home run in the seventh to put Gardner-Webb back on top.
The game delivered a strange finish, with North Carolina taking advantage of a fly ball lost in the lights in the eighth, an error at home with the bases loaded to tie the game – and a balk called in the next at bat to put the Tar Heels up 5-4.
Closer Matt Poston came on to retire Gardner-Webb in the ninth to end the game.
Phil Fox (3-3) took a hard-luck loss in relief, allowing just one earned run with two strikeouts in the eighth. Gardner-Webb used six pitchers in the game, with
Joe Miceli going 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in a starting assignment.
Lenny Washington and
Grant Vera also tossed scoreless frames.
Gardner-Webb had six hits, with Torres (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI) providing strong production.
North Carolina's Kevin Eaise (3-3) got the win out of the bullpen, working 2.0 scoreless innings.
Horvath went 3-for-4 with two RBI to account for half of the home team's six base hits.
Gardner-Webb will remain on the road this weekend, traveling to face No. 13 Campbell in a three-game series. The opener begins at 6:00 pm Friday night in Buies Creek.
