University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Gardner-Webb
Dull & Buch Lead Bulldogs Past Gardner-Webb, 3-0
05.20.2010 | Baseball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Sophomore right-hander Ryan Dull tossed a seven-hit complete game shutout to lead UNC Asheville to a 3-0 Big South Conference win over Gardner-Webb Thursday afternoon at McCormick Field.
The win, coupled with Charleston Southern's 15-7 loss to High Point, sealed a berth for the Bulldogs (16-33, 9-16 BSC) in next week's Big South Conference Tournament at Winthrop. Asheville will be either the seventh or eighth seed in the tournament and compete in the play-in round on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will be the seventh seed if they can one more win over Gardner-Webb either on Friday or Saturday. The teams are scheduled to play both Friday and Saturday at McCormick Field starting at 1 p.m.
Dull (6-3) earned his first career shutout by striking out six and walking just one. He allowed three hits in the first two innings but only allowed two hits over the last four innings.
Cody Buch was the hitting star for the Bulldogs. The sophomore third baseman went 2-for-4 at the plate and drove in all three runs of the game.
Asheville broke on top with two runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Ian Graham walked. Beau Zinman followed with a double to left-field as Graham moved to third.
Buch singled sharply to left-field to plate both Graham and Zinman for a 2-0 Asheville lead.
The Bulldogs added to the lead in the seventh thanks to Buch. Graham opened the inning with a walk. He was sacrificed to second by Zinman. Buch followed with a run-scoring single to center field to put Asheville in front, 3-0. The Bulldogs tried to get some more runs as they loaded the bases with two outs, but GWU reliever Brock Wilson struck out Asheville's leading hitter Justin Schumer.
Gardner-Webb (24-28, 9-16 BSC) had two hits in the first inning, but Dull picked off two Runnin' Bulldogs to keep the visitors from threatening to score.
GWU starter Kyle Paeplow (2-1) was the hard-luck loser for the Runnin' Bulldogs. He allowed just four hits and two runs, walking two and striking out two.
Another base-running mistake hurt Gardner-Webb in the second. John Harris led off with a single and was sacrifice to second. Benji Jackson sent a line-drive to center field that was caught by Danny Baatz. Harris was running on the plate and was easily doubled up.
GWU's best scoring threat came in the fifth inning. Two hits and a walk loaded the bases with two outs. Jackson hit a fly ball to right that was caught by Vaughn to end the threat and the inning.
NOTES
UNC Asheville has won four straight BSC games, its longest conference winning streak in four years...the Bulldogs played errorless ball for the fourth time in the last six games...Asheville has now won four straight McCormick Field home games after losing its first seven games...it was the Bulldogs first Big South Conference shutout since a 9-0 blanking of Liberty in 2008...Asheville's last complete-game shutout came from Graham Baughn against Charleston Southern in the 2007 Big South Conference Tournament.
