CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Junior Merik Carter went 4-for-5 from the dish with three RBIs but it was not enough as the Gardner-Webb (16-29) baseball team dropped a 19-7 contest at Western Carolina (23-21) on Tuesday evening inside Hennon Stadium.

The Runnin' Bulldogs pounded out 16 hits but were not able to hold on to an early lead, dropping their seventh consecutive contest.

Gardner-Webb started fast, loading the bases in the top of the first after back-to-back hits from Carter and Garrett Macias. Ryan Kennell drew a walk, putting a runner at each bag. A fielder's choice allowed Carter to touch the dish before an RBI single by Dale Francis Jr. brought home the second run of the frame. Nick Capozzi capped the scoring after coming home following a wild pitch.

Western Carolina picked one of those runs back up in the bottom of the first before blowing the game wide open with 11 runs on 10 hits in the home half of the second. The Catamounts pushed the lead to 13-3 with a single run in the third.

The Runnin' Bulldogs were able to scratch across one run in the top of the fourth after Kennell singled through the left side while allowing Lawson Knight to cross the plate.

However, WCU tacked on six more runs over the fifth and sixth innings, ballooning its lead to 19-4 heading into the seventh.

The 'Dawgs, needing six runs to extend the game, were able to tally three runs in the top of the seventh but it was not enough as Western closed out the run-rule victory.

Gardner-Webb returns to the diamond on Saturday, May 3, starting a three-game series with Wake Forest. First pitch of game one is set for 6 p.m.