University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
16-35, 0
Gardner-Webb
25-24, 0
UNC Asheville Has Four Players Post Multiple Hits in Regular Season-Ending Loss to Gardner-Webb
05.18.2019 | Baseball
The game commenced with Gardner-Webb (25-24, 14-13 Big South) plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a very early 3-0 lead.
UNC Asheville (16-35, 9-18 Big South) cut the Gardner-Webb lead to 3-1 in the top of the third inning when a Dominic Freeberger two-out double scored Greg Gasparro.
Gardner-Webb would post four runs in the bottom of the third to lead 7-1, but UNC Asheville responded by scoring two of its runs in the top of the fourth to trail by four at 7-3.
The inning started with Brandon Lankford being walked. Danny Wilson was then walked to give the Bulldogs two runners on base with no outs. After a pitching change, Carmine Pagano doubled down the left field line to score Lankford and move Wilson to third. A couple of batters later, PJ Heintz grounded out to score Wilson.
Gardner-Webb plated a single run in the bottom of the fourth to lead 8-3, but UNC Asheville cut the lead in half with a single run of its own in the top of the fifth inning. Gasparro started the top of the fifth by doubling to right-center field. A couple of batters later, Jake Madole singled to center field to give the Bulldogs runners at the corners. Lankford scored Gasparro next on an infield single to pull Asheville within four runs at 8-4.
UNC Asheville would keep battling down the stretch, but Gardner-Webb pulled away for the win. Pagano singled in another run in the top of the eighth, while Wilson singled in a single run of his own in the top of the ninth to set the final score at 14-6 in favor of Gardner-Webb.
Despite the loss, UNC Asheville out-hit Gardner-Webb, 13-12, in the game. Four Bulldogs finished with multiple hits with Pagano leading the way with three. He was 3-of-5 overall with two RBIs. Wilson, Lankford and Madole each had two hits for Asheville.
Four players from Gardner-Webb each finished with two hits in the game as well.
Joe Sondock (0-2) took the loss on the hill for the Bulldogs, while Kyle Ruehlman (5-4) earned the win for Gardner-Webb. Jarrett Thompson pitched the final three innings to earn his eighth save of the year, which ties him with UNC Asheville's Kole Harris and Winthrop's Colten Rendon for the most in the Big South at the end of the regular season.
UNC Asheville will be the ninth seed in the 2019 Big South Baseball Championship and will next play at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, N.C. To learn more about the 2019 Big South Baseball Championship, please visit HERE.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: RUEHLMAN, Kyle (5-4)
L: Sondock, Joe (0-2)
S: THOMPSON, Jarrett (8)
Batting:
2B: Gasparro, Greg 1 ; Freeberger, Dominic 1 ; Edwards, Jacob 1 ; Madole, Jake 1 ; Pagano, Carmine 1
RBI: Freeberger, Dominic 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 1 ; Wilson, Danny 1 ; Pagano, Carmine 2 ; Heintz, PJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gasparro, Greg 2 ; Edwards, Jacob 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 2 ; Wilson, Danny 1
Batting:
2B: JONES, Eric 2 ; CLARY, Chris 1 ; ROWDON, Ben 1 ; WHITE, CJ 1
HR: KUNZ, Justin 1 ; HOWARD, Corey 1
RBI: KUNZ, Justin 1 ; REDMOND, Chandler 3 ; HOWARD, Corey 4 ; CLARY, Chris 2 ; McLENDON, Mitch 1 ; ROWDON, Ben 1
SH: CLARY, Chris 1
SF: REDMOND, Chandler 1 ; HOWARD, Corey 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LaSPALUTO, Ben 1 ; KUNZ, Justin 3 ; REDMOND, Chandler 2 ; HOWARD, Corey 1 ; JONES, Eric 2 ; SPRATLIN, Carey 1 ; CLARY, Chris 2 ; WHITE, CJ 2
SB: HOWARD, Corey 1 ; JONES, Eric 1
HBP: LaSPALUTO, Ben 1 ; KUNZ, Justin 1
