DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb (10-7) baseball team put together a total offensive effort Tuesday afternoon but came up just short, falling 11–10 to Davidson in a back-and-forth midweek contest.

Gardner-Webb showed plenty of fight after falling behind early. Davidson jumped out to a quick start with four runs in the bottom of the first inning, putting the Runnin' Bulldogs in an early deficit.

The Dawgs responded in the second inning, beginning to chip away at the lead. Gardner-Webb added another run in the third before erupting for four runs in the fourth inning to take control of the game. The big inning was highlighted by a three-run home run from Drew Ripepi, giving the Runnin' Bulldogs momentum and briefly swinging the game in their favor.

Ripepi led the Gardner-Webb offense with a big day at the plate, finishing 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three RBIs while also drawing two walks. Jude Littrell added a key extra-base hit, going 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs, while Zack Thompson chipped in with two hits and an RBI.

Davidson answered in the middle innings, scoring three runs in the fifth and adding another in the sixth to regain the lead. The Wildcats later added two more runs in the seventh to push their advantage.

Gardner-Webb continued to battle late, plating two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to cut the deficit to one. The Runnin' Bulldogs finished the afternoon with eight hits while drawing nine walks and capitalizing on three Davidson errors to keep pressure on the Wildcats throughout the game.

Despite the late push, Gardner-Webb was unable to find the tying run in the ninth inning as Davidson held on for the narrow victory.

Gardner-Webb will return to the friendly confines of John Henry Moss Stadium on March 13-15 as it welcomes in Longwood for the Big South opening series. First pitch on Friday evening is scheduled for 6 p.m.