CHARLESTON, S.C. — Gardner-Webb (13-10, 3-2) baseball used timely hitting and a clutch late-game swing to secure an 8-5 victory over Charleston Southern (15-7, 1-1) on Saturday afternoon at Nielsen Field, pulling even at a game each in the three-game conference set.

Gardner-Webb wasted no time setting the tone, plating three runs in the second inning. An RBI sacrifice fly from Allan Camarillo capped the early rally, while aggressive baserunning and a Buccaneers error helped the Bulldogs build a 3-0 lead.

The offense stayed hot in the third, as Anthony Hausner delivered an RBI single to extend the advantage to 4-0. Hausner finished with a strong day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

On the mound, Matt Stuart was solid in the start, working 4.2 innings while allowing just two runs and striking out three. Charleston Southern began to chip away in the middle innings, scoring twice in the fifth and adding two more in the sixth to even the game at 4-4.

With momentum shifting, Gardner-Webb responded in a big way in the seventh inning.

Ryan Kennell and Kelvin Agosto each reached to set the table before Matt Ilgenfritz delivered the decisive blow—a three-run home run to right-center field that put the Bulldogs back in front, 7-4. Ilgenfritz led the offense with three hits and three RBIs on the day.

Charleston Southern added a run in the eighth to close the gap to 7-5, but Gardner-Webb answered again in the ninth. Kennell doubled to start the inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Hausner, providing a key insurance run.

Out of the bullpen, Colby Putnam earned the win with 2.2 innings of work, while Colby Humphries shut the door over the final 1.2 innings to secure his first save of the season.

Gardner-Webb will return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon while closing out the series with the Buccaneers in the rubber match. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.