BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. ? The Presbyterian College baseball
team jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and held a 7-4 advantage, but the squad
was unable to hold onto the lead as the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs plated four runs
in the bottom of the eighth to take the 11-8 win.
The Blue Hose fall to 2-6 on the young season and 0-1 in Big South
play. GWU is now 4-4 overall and 1-0 against conference competition.
PC got the high-scoring game going in the second frame. Kenny Bryant led off
the inning with a single to right and moved to second on Jared Combs' grounder.
Bryant came around to score on Zac Rhinesmith's double to the left field gap,
putting the Blue Hose up 1-0.
Head coach Elton Pollock's team would score another run in the third. Rookie
Gabe Grammer got ahold of a Ben Campbell pitch, sending it over the right field
wall for his first career round-tripper.
PC tacked on a run in the fourth. After Combs reached base, he sped to third on
a double by Tony Micklon. Rhinesmith grounded into a fielder's choice, allowing
Combs to score while making the tally 3-0 in favor of the
visitors.
The Bulldogs pounded out four runs of their own in the bottom half of the
frame, briefly taking a 4-3 lead.
However, Grammer's single put Drew Wingo on second when the Blue Hose came to
bat in the fifth. Then, a failed pick-off attempt put Grammer on third while
plating Wingo, knotting the contest. Mack Hite's sacrifice fly gave PC a 5-4
advantage.
Senior Cory Lyda got a base knock to center before scampering to second on a
wild pitch. Bryant doubled home Lyda, forcing a pitching change. Combs' single
to center scored Bryant and Combs went to second on the throw home. However,
Ryan Maxa got the next two batters out on swinging strikes, ending the inning.
GWU came back to knot the game at 7-7
in the bottom of the fifth stanza. Two of
the three runs the home team scored were unearned due to an error in the frame.
Although the score remained unchanged the next two innings,
the Bulldogs amassed seven hits, scoring four runs in the eighth inning, taking
an 11-7 lead.
However, Pollock's team would not give up. The team, down to its last at bat,
attempted to make a comeback. Nate Horton pinch hit for Wingo and promptly
smacked a single to right to lead off the Blue hose at bat. Horton was relieved
for pinch runner Jeffrey Tatum. Tatum scampered to second on Grammer's grounder
to third. After Hite grounded out, Lyda kept the game alive by earning a base
on balls.
Bryant then came up huge again, singling through the right side, pulling the
visitors within three, 11-8, and bringing the tying run to the plate. With two
runners on, the Bulldogs changed pitchers once again. Adam Izokovic forced
Combs into a pop-up, ending the game.
For the contest, PC accounted for eight runs on 12 hits with one error while
GWU plated 11 runs on 15 hits to go along with three errors.
Leading the way for the Blue Hose was Grammer and Bryant, who each tallied
three hits. Hite, Lyda, Combs, Micklon, Rhinesmith and Horton all had a hit in
the game.
The two teams return to action tomorrow at 1
p.m., in the second game of the three-game
series.
