CLINTON, S.C. - After taking the opener on Friday afternoon,
Presbyterian College baseball dropped a pair of games to Gardner-Webb on
Saturday afternoon, 8-5 and 19-4. The Blue
Hose fall to 7-16 with the losses and 1-2 in the Big South while the Runnin'
Bulldogs improve to 11-12 and 2-1 in the league.
In the day's opening game, PC scored a
run in each of the first three innings while GWU added two in the second and
one in the third to match the hosts through three innings.
The Bulldogs added one in the fifth and another
in the top of the seventh to take a 5-3 lead into the seventh inning stretch. The Blue Hose scored two runs off a double by
Mack Hite to centerfield. Aaron Preston
and Jesse Harmon each crossed the plate after walking earlier in the inning to
tie up the game.
However, in the top of the eighth,
Gardner-Webb scored three unearned runs to take an 8-5 lead which would not be
relinquished.
The Bulldogs took 13 hits in the game
and was helped by three Blue Hose errors in the field. On the other side, PC had five hits and had
two errors by Gardner-Webb.
Andrew Foushee took the loss to fall to
1-2 while GWU's Howell earned the win to improve to 1-2 on the season.
In the second game, Gardner-Webb got off
to a hot start by scoring two runs, followed by eight runs in the third to take
a massive 10-0 lead through three innings.
Gabe Grammer was plated by Jesse Harmon to open the scoring, followed by
Harmon scoring off a bases loaded hit by pitch.
The inning's final run came when Hite was advanced home when Kenny
Bryant walked in the next at bat.
Both teams went scoreless in the fifth
before GWU posted four runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to go up
17-3.
In the eighth frame, PC clawed a run
back when Grammer scored off a ground out by Carl De La Torre to first
base. The run would be all PC would get in
the game as GWU notched two more runs in the top of the ninth to take the 19-4
lead.
Starting pitcher Joe Hammond was saddled
with the loss to fall to 0-2 while GWU's Izokovic improve to 3-1 with the
victory on the mound. Overall, 13
pitchers saw action, eighth for the Blue Hose and five for Gardner-Webb.
PC had seven hits in the finale while
Gardner-Webb had 17 hits and benefited by four PC errors.
The Blue Hose will travel to Tennessee
for an evening tilt with the Vols on Wednesday night in Knoxville at 7
p.m. This weekend, PC visits Coastal
Carolina for a Friday-Saturday weekend series.
