CLEMSON, S.C. – A valiant effort by the Gardner-Webb (14-20) baseball team came up just short as the Runnin' Bulldogs were dealt a 4-2 defeat at the hands of No. 3 Clemson (31-5) on Wednesday evening inside Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

The Runnin' Bulldogs pitching staff held one of the nation's most prolific offenses to just four hits on the night.

After two scoreless innings on both sides, Clemson struck for an early lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third frame. A pair of walks and a passed ball allowed the Tigers to put runners on second and third with no outs before a groundout and RBI single plated two.

However, Gardner-Webb came back to knot the contest at 2-2 in the top of the fifth as manufactured runs pulled the 'Dawgs even. Lawson Knight started the frame with a base on balls before moving to second on a wild pitch.

A perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Bennett Shealor moved the runner 90 feet from the plate. Ryan Kennell finished the job with a run-scoring hit to right before Aaron Morgan plated the second run by taking home on a caught stealing.

Clemson took the lead back with single runs in the sixth and eighth while the Runnin' Bulldogs went quiet at the dish, eventually dropping the contest, 4-2.

Gardner-Webb returns to conference action and the friendly confines of John Henry Moss Stadium on Friday, April 11 as it welcomes the Highlanders of Radford to Boiling Springs for game one of a three-game set. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.