University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Gardner-Webb
Bulldogs Fall Sunday in 2016 Home Finale
05.15.2016 | Baseball
THE RUNDOWN
Score: Gardner-Webb 6 – Asheville 1
Teams: Asheville (16-34, 5-16 BSC)
Gardner-Webb (34-18, 12-9 BSC)
Location: Greenwood Field / Asheville, N.C.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Gardner-Webb posted five of its six total runs in the opening two innings on Sunday afternoon, while UNC Asheville managed just two hits over the first five innings as the Bulldogs fell 6-1 in Big South Conference action.
THE TURNING POINT
Gardner-Webb connected on three separate RBI doubles across the first two innings as part of its five run start, adding an RBI single and plating the other run on a sacrifice fly as starting pitcher Ryan Boelter allowed just five Asheville hits in seven innings of work with nine strikeouts.
NOTABLES
-Asheville finished with seven hits, including two each from Danny Wilson and Derek Smith. Kyle Carruthers, Alex Baratta and Pete Guy added the other Bulldog hits in the loss.
-Guy's single in the bottom of the third inning pushed his on-base streak to 35 consecutive games – marking a new program record and passing former Bulldog Hunter Bryant's 34-game mark set last season.
-Asheville starter Jordan Fulbright allowed five runs on five hits with two walks across the first two innings as he was handed his fifth loss of the season. Nick Boyles gave the Bulldogs four innings out of the bullpen with just one hit allowed before Adam Spracklin (one run), Zach Greene and Eric Whitecavage combined to toss the final three innings.
-Back-to-back two-out RBI doubles gave Gardner-Webb the lead in the top of the first inning before the visitors added to the advantage in the second inning on three hits, including a run scoring single and double, as well as a sacrifice fly later in the inning.
-Gardner-Webb added a solo home run in the top of the seventh to complete its offensive output.
-Asheville left a runner stranded to end each of the first three innings and then hit into double plays in both the fourth and fifth frames. The Bulldogs stranded two runners in the sixth their best chance came in the seventh inning.
-In the seventh, the Bulldogs loaded the bases with no outs, via a leadoff walk from Smith and back-to-back singles by Carruthers and Baratta. Asheville was unable to plate a run as Boelter ended his afternoon on the mound by getting out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and a shallow fly out into right field.
-Asheville's lone run of the afternoon came in the bottom of the eighth when Wilson connected on his solo home run to deep center field for his second homer of the season. The Bulldogs stranded one final runner later in the eighth before going down in order in the bottom of the ninth.
UP NEXT
-Following today's loss, Asheville wraps up the regular season with a Tuesday afternoon road contest at Tennessee Tech (3:00 p.m.) before closing Big South Conference play with a three-game set beginning Thursday at Radford.
