BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb (7-8) baseball team used timely hitting and stellar pitching on Friday evening to take the opening game of a three-game set against Youngstown State (1-11), 7-5.

Senior Dale Francis Jr. blasted his eighth homerun of the season while redshirt senior Garrett Macias contributed a pair of RBIs for the Runnin' Bulldogs.

The Penguins struck for a single run in the top of the first, but Francis quickly gave GWU the lead with a towering two-run homerun in the bottom half of the frame.

That advantage grew to 4-1 after the 'Dawgs posted runs in the third and fourth. Macias tallied an RBI single before senior Aaron Morgan launched a solo homer in the latter inning.

Youngstown State as able to come back and knot the contest at 4-all after scoring one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh, capitalizing on pitching miscues by the Runnin' Bulldogs.

However, Macias came right back in the home half of the seventh with a sacrifice fly that plated senior Lawson Knight, who drew a leadoff walk before putting himself 90 feet away with a pair of stolen bases.

The Runnin' Bullldogs added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as redshirt junior Ethan Liao and Knight produced RBIs. YSU pushed across one in the visitor's half of the ninth, but it was not enough as Gardner-Webb held on for the 7-5, series-opening win.

Redhsirt senior Mason Manriquez picked up his second win of the season, tossing 1.2 innings and striking out five.

The series will continue tomorrow afternoon as the two teams square off at 3 p.m. on Bill Masters Field.