BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Behind a dominant performance on the mound by starting pitcher Oliver Ellison and timely power at the plate, the Gardner-Webb (19-23, 7-9) baseball team shut out league-leading Winthrop (27-15, 10-3) 3–0 on Friday evening at John Henry Moss Stadium.

Ellison delivered one of his strongest outings of the season for Gardner-Webb, tossing a complete-game shutout. Ellison scattered just five hits across nine innings while striking out five and walking three, consistently inducing ground balls and working out of early traffic to keep Winthrop off the scoreboard.

Both teams threatened in the opening inning, but Ellison escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting a groundout to second to end the frame. From there, the Runnin' Bulldogs settled in defensively and began to generate offense.

Gardner-Webb struck first in the third inning. After two quick outs, Kelvin Agosto stepped to the plate and launched a solo home run to left field, giving the Dawgs a 1–0 lead and energizing the home crowd.

Ellison continued to cruise through the middle innings, aided by strong defense and a pair of double plays that erased potential Winthrop rallies. The Runnin' Bulldogs added to their lead in the sixth when Drew Ripepi connected on a solo shot to right-center field, extending the advantage to 2–0.

An inning later, Merik Carter provided an insurance run with another solo homer, this time to right field, pushing the lead to 3–0.

Offensively, Gardner-Webb finished with nine hits. Agosto led the way with two hits and the early home run, while Matt Ilgenfritz added two hits of his own. Carter and Ripepi each drove in a run with their solo blasts, accounting for all three Bulldog RBIs.

With the cushion in hand, Ellison closed the door in the ninth, retiring the Eagles in order to secure the shutout victory.

Game two of the series is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon with a first pitch slated for 3 p.m.