CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Gardner-Webb (23-29) baseball team dropped a midweek matchup on the road Tuesday night, falling 11–1 to Charlotte at Hayes Stadium.
Charlotte used a steady offensive attack and a decisive late inning to pull away, while the Runnin' Bulldogs managed five hits but struggled to generate sustained offense.
Gardner-Webb threatened early but could not break through against Charlotte starter Walker Morgan, who held the Runnin' Bulldogs to just one hit across four scoreless innings while striking out five. Meanwhile, Charlotte struck first in the bottom of the second inning, plating two runs to take an early lead. The 49ers added two more in the third to push the margin to 4–0.
After settling in following the early damage, the Gardner-Webb pitching staff briefly kept the Dawgs within striking distance. Trey Graydon delivered a strong outing out of the bullpen, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing no hits and striking out two to keep Charlotte off the board from the fourth through the sixth.
The Runnin' Bulldogs broke through in the sixth inning. Thad Ector reached and eventually scored on an RBI from Kelvin Agosto to trim the deficit to 4–1, providing Gardner-Webb its lone run of the night.
However, Charlotte responded decisively in the seventh inning. The 49ers erupted for five runs in the frame, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Todd Hudson. Alec DeMartino added an RBI following a bases loaded walk that pushed the lead to 9–1 and effectively put the game out of reach. Charlotte tacked on two more runs in the eighth to complete the scoring.
Matt Manley took the loss for Gardner-Webb after allowing four runs over 2.1 innings. Despite the result, Graydon's three shutout innings highlighted a solid effort from the bullpen before Charlotte's late surge.
The Runnin' Bulldogs turn their attention to a pivotal three-game Big South series with Presbyterian on May 14-16 at John Henry Moss Stadium. Games one and two will have a start time of 6 p.m. while Saturday's contest is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
