BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb (10-8, 0-1) baseball team opened Big South Conference play Friday night with a tight battle against the Longwood (14-4, 1-0), ultimately falling 3–1 at Bill Masters Field and John Henry Moss Stadium.

Both teams were locked into a pitching duel through the first four innings as Gardner-Webb starter Oliver Ellison and Longwood's Jaxon Lloyd traded zeros. The Bulldogs threatened in the fourth after Kelvin Agosto singled through the right side, but the Lancers escaped the inning to keep the game scoreless.

Longwood pushed across the game's first run in the fifth inning when Tre Keels doubled and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 1–0. The Lancers added another run in the sixth on a solo home run from Jon Howard, extending their lead to 2–0.

Despite the deficit, Ellison continued to keep the Runnin' Bulldogs within reach, finishing his outing with seven strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out eight.

Gardner-Webb broke through in the seventh inning. Zack Thompson led off with a double down the left-field line before Diego Guevara delivered a pinch-hit single to put runners on the corners. Pinch-runner Daniel Smith then stole second, allowing Thompson to score and cut the deficit to 2–1. The Runnin' Bulldogs looked poised to do more damage in the inning, but Longwood escaped with the lead intact.

The Lancers added an insurance run in the ninth on a solo home run by Ben Pulliam, pushing the lead to 3–1. Gardner-Webb mounted one final push in the bottom half of the inning with a pinch-hit single from Anthony Hausner, but Longwood closed out the game to secure the win.

The Runnin' Bulldogs will look to even the series with Longwood as the teams continue their weekend matchup on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.