University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Saturday, May 15
Boiling Springs, NC
1:00 PM
UNC Asheville
15-29, 14-22
7
at
8
Gardner-Webb
25-19, 24-11
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UNC Asheville
0
2
2
0
0
3
0
0
0
7
13
0
Gardner-Webb
0
1
0
0
5
0
0
2
X
8
10
1
Grayson Preslar went 4-for-8 with four RBI in today's doubleheader
Photo by: Mark Godin
Bulldogs Drop a Pair of Games at Gardner-Webb
05.15.2021 | Baseball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The UNC Asheville baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader Saturday at Gardner-Webb to close out its regular season road schedule. The Runnin' Bulldogs edged Asheville in game one, 8-7, before finishing off the day with an 11-6 victory.
Game One Recap – There was no shortage of offense between Asheville and Gardner-Webb in Saturday's first game. The two teams combined to score 15 runs and 23 hits in the contest.
Asheville started things off by scoring two runs in the second and third innings to stake starter Jacob Edwards to an early lead. Then, facing a 4-1 deficit in the fifth, Gardner-Webb put together a big five-run outburst against Edwards to pull in front, 5-4. GWU's big inning was fueled by a hit by pitch, a walk, a single, and a pair of home runs. The five-run inning spelled the end of the day for Edwards, who allowed six runs on six hits to go with eight strikeouts.
However, the Bulldogs did not trail for long as they answered with a three-run inning in the sixth to regain the advantage. Asheville held the lead through a scoreless seventh before Gardner-Webb slugged a solo home run to tie the game at seven to lead off the eighth inning. GWU added what proved to be the winning run on a double down the left field line to go up 8-7. In the ninth, the Bulldogs did have a runner reach on a Gardner-Webb error, but that is where the rally stalled, and the Runnin' Bulldogs held on for the 8-7 victory.
Eight of the nine members of Asheville's starting lineup picked up at least one hit in game one, and all nine reached base at least once. Dominic Freeberger led the charge going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Freshmen Michael Groves and Kohl Abrams each posted two-hit outings, while Grayson Preslar drove in two runs on a 2-for-4 performance, with both hits going for extra bases (double and triple).
Rounding out the offensive highlights for Asheville was Brandon Lankford's two-run home run in the third inning. With that long ball, Lankford moved into sole possession of second place on the Big South's all-time home run list (52) and Asheville's single-season home run list (17).
Game Two Recap – After an unearned run came across in the bottom of the first, Asheville starter Kole Harris settled things down and gave the Bulldogs a chance to respond. Asheville did just that, scoring once in the third and three more in the fourth to build a 4-1 lead.
Gardner-Webb quickly got one of those runs back in the fourth off Harris to make the score 4-2. After Harris came out of the game following his fifth inning of work, the Runnin' Bulldog offense started to take off. Gardner-Webb scored nine runs off Asheville's bullpen in the final three innings to not only erase Asheville's lead but also build a sizable one of its own on its way to an 11-6 victory.
Asheville was led in game two by the two hitters that hit eighth and ninth in its order. Abrams continued his excellent day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI. Preslar also stayed hot at the plate, matching his performance in game one with a 2-for-4 outing with two RBI.
Next Up – The Bulldogs will close out the regular season next week when they welcome USC Upstate to Greenwood Field for a three-game series beginning Thursday. All three games can be seen on ESPN+.
Game One Recap – There was no shortage of offense between Asheville and Gardner-Webb in Saturday's first game. The two teams combined to score 15 runs and 23 hits in the contest.
Asheville started things off by scoring two runs in the second and third innings to stake starter Jacob Edwards to an early lead. Then, facing a 4-1 deficit in the fifth, Gardner-Webb put together a big five-run outburst against Edwards to pull in front, 5-4. GWU's big inning was fueled by a hit by pitch, a walk, a single, and a pair of home runs. The five-run inning spelled the end of the day for Edwards, who allowed six runs on six hits to go with eight strikeouts.
However, the Bulldogs did not trail for long as they answered with a three-run inning in the sixth to regain the advantage. Asheville held the lead through a scoreless seventh before Gardner-Webb slugged a solo home run to tie the game at seven to lead off the eighth inning. GWU added what proved to be the winning run on a double down the left field line to go up 8-7. In the ninth, the Bulldogs did have a runner reach on a Gardner-Webb error, but that is where the rally stalled, and the Runnin' Bulldogs held on for the 8-7 victory.
Eight of the nine members of Asheville's starting lineup picked up at least one hit in game one, and all nine reached base at least once. Dominic Freeberger led the charge going 3-for-5 with an RBI. Freshmen Michael Groves and Kohl Abrams each posted two-hit outings, while Grayson Preslar drove in two runs on a 2-for-4 performance, with both hits going for extra bases (double and triple).
Rounding out the offensive highlights for Asheville was Brandon Lankford's two-run home run in the third inning. With that long ball, Lankford moved into sole possession of second place on the Big South's all-time home run list (52) and Asheville's single-season home run list (17).
Game Two Recap – After an unearned run came across in the bottom of the first, Asheville starter Kole Harris settled things down and gave the Bulldogs a chance to respond. Asheville did just that, scoring once in the third and three more in the fourth to build a 4-1 lead.
Gardner-Webb quickly got one of those runs back in the fourth off Harris to make the score 4-2. After Harris came out of the game following his fifth inning of work, the Runnin' Bulldog offense started to take off. Gardner-Webb scored nine runs off Asheville's bullpen in the final three innings to not only erase Asheville's lead but also build a sizable one of its own on its way to an 11-6 victory.
Asheville was led in game two by the two hitters that hit eighth and ninth in its order. Abrams continued his excellent day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and one RBI. Preslar also stayed hot at the plate, matching his performance in game one with a 2-for-4 outing with two RBI.
Next Up – The Bulldogs will close out the regular season next week when they welcome USC Upstate to Greenwood Field for a three-game series beginning Thursday. All three games can be seen on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SKIDMORE, Kyle (4-1)
L: Jernigan, Trey (1-4)
S: CAMPBELL, Isaac (6)
Batting:
2B: Heintz, PJ 1 ; Preslar, Grayson 1
3B: Preslar, Grayson 1
HR: Lankford, Brandon 1
RBI: Freeberger, Dominic 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 2 ; Groves, Michael 1 ; Abrams, Kohl 1 ; Preslar, Grayson 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Freeberger, Dominic 1 ; Lankford, Brandon 1 ; Kaufman, Ty 1 ; Dunn, Sebastian 1 ; Heintz, PJ 1 ; Abrams, Kohl 1 ; Preslar, Grayson 1
Batting:
2B: PARKHURST, Keiji 1 ; BRAZIL, Joe 1
HR: FERGUSON, Patrick 2 ; McGUIRE, JP 1
RBI: PARKHURST, Keiji 1 ; FERGUSON, Patrick 4 ; McGUIRE, JP 2 ; BRAZIL, Joe 1
Base Running:
RUNS: LaSPALUTO, Ben 1 ; JONES, Eric 1 ; PARKHURST, Keiji 1 ; FERGUSON, Patrick 3 ; SIMONE, Joe 1 ; McGUIRE, JP 1
HBP: JONES, Eric 1
Game Leaders
1b/3b
AB
5
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ BaseballC/U
/ Baseball
RHP/U
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballU
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