CLINTON, S.C. – Presbyterian College baseball battled with Gardner-Webb through 14 innings in the deciding game of its Big South Conference opening series on Monday, but the Runnin' Bulldogs came away with a 3-2 win at the PC Baseball Complex.
PC moves to 14-6 overall and 1-2 in the Big South. The Blue Hose will next play at Charlotte on Wednesday at 5 p.m. Gardner-Webb improves to 12-8 overall and 2-1 in League action.
Tied 2-2 through 13 innings, the Runnin' Bulldogs hit a leadoff single and Blair Huggins drove in the go-ahead run on an RBI single up the middle. Tanner Chock (Loris, S.C.) struck out the final batter with the bases loaded to escape down just 4-3, but the Blue Hose could not score in the final frame despite a Jay Lizanich (Greer, S.C.) single and the visitors left with the victory.
Chock moves to 2-1 with the loss. Bradley Hallman picked up the win to improve to 3-1, pitching the final 4.2 innings with no runs and three hits.
Lizanich paced PC at the plate, going 4-for-6. Six other Blue Hose registered a hit as well. Aaron Lesiak (Greenville, S.C.) took a hard-luck no decision after allowing two runs on four hits in 7.1 innings of work, striking out eight and issuing no walks.
Gardner-Webb went the order once without a hit but broke through in the top of the fourth. Henry Rundio knocked a leadoff double to the gap and eventually came home on a Collin Thacker single to center.
PC answered in the bottom of the fourth. Back-to-back singles from Lizanich and Brandon Martin (Gray Court, S.C.) gave PC runners in scoring position and a Cam McRae (Darlington, S.C.) fielder's choice put runners on the corners with two out. The Blue Hose then took advantage of a wild pitch to the tie game, 1-1.
PC left the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth innings and Gardner-Webb capitalized, using a double and a single to jump ahead in the top of the sixth, 2-1. An error and wild pitch moved runners to second and third but Lesiak escaped the jam with two strikeouts to keep PC within a run.
The Blue Hose responded in the bottom of the inning. Two straight singles prompted a pitching change and Ryan Hedrick (High Point, N.C.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. Jacob Midkiff (Rock Hill, S.C.) then hit a screaming line drive to first that Sam Fulginiti caught, but the first baseman tried to double up the runner at third and sent the throw wide. The error allowed Johnson to score and tie the game, 2-2.
The two teams battled through the next seven full innings without a run, though Gardner-Webb threatened in the 12th with several Runnin' Bulldogs on the bases. With one out, Martin gunned down a runner at home and Ethan Wortkotter (Greer, S.C.) induced a groundout to get out of the jam tied, 2-2.
Wortkoetter pitched three scoreless innings before leaving after the 13th. Brian Kehner (Marietta, Ga.) and Russell Thompson (Alcolu, S.C.) each threw 1.1 shutout frames as well.
Blue Hose found themselves in scoring position in the 11th, 12th and 13th innings but did not score.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Gardner-Webb........ 000 101 000 000 01 - 3 11 1 (12-8, 2-1 BSC)
Presbyterian College 000 101 000 000 00 - 2 10 1 (14-6, 1-2 BSC)
----------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Gardner-Webb - WARNER, Mitch; HAYMES, Brad(6); HALLMAN, Bradley(10) and
THACKER, Collin; HUGGINS, Blair. Presbyterian College - LESIAK, Aaron; THOMPSON, Russell(8);
KEHNER, Brian(9); WORTKOETTER, Ethan(11); CHOCK, Tanner(14) and KOSKI, Rob; BURT, Patrick.
Win-HALLMAN, Bradley(3-1) Loss-CHOCK, Tanner(2-1) T-3:55 A-262
Weather: Mid-70s, clear and bright
WARNER, M. faced 2 batters in the 6th.
