BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – A day after Longwood shut out Gardner-Webb to clinch the series, the Runnin' Bulldogs returned the favor as senior Mitch Warner stymied the Lancer bats, holding Longwood to just four hits in a complete-game effort to salvage a game for Gardner-Webb with the 6-0 win.

Warner (3-6) was fantastic from the onset, retiring the first five Lancers he faced en route to allowing just nine baserunners all day. The southpaw allowed just three Longwood runners to reach scoring position, all in the first three innings, before dominating down the stretch to finish his second complete game of the season.

Meanwhile, Gardner-Webb (21-30, 7-17) jumped on Longwood starter Brandon Vick (2-7) to establish an early lead and help Warner settle in. The Runnin' Bulldogs scored in each of the first three innings, throwing up five of their six runs in the opening third of the game.

Catcher Collin Thacker opened the scoring the first for Gardner-Webb with an RBI-single, part of his 3-for-5 day at the plate and his team leading 26th RBI. Five other Runnin' Bulldogs would add an RBI in the finale as Longwood (21-28, 9-12) could not complete the sweep.

After Warner retired Longwood in order to open the game, Gardner-Webb jumped on the Longwood lefty Vick with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, establishing momentum for the first time this weekend. The Lancers pitching staff had dominated the Runnin' Bulldogs through the first two games, holding them to just a single run in 18 innings, but on Sunday, Gardner-Webb finally broke through.

A one-out walk started the trouble and was followed by a pair of singles, the second of which was Thacker's RBI-knock which staked a 1-0 lead for Gardner-Webb. A batter later, Sam Fulginiti flew out to right field, allowing a second Runnin' Bulldog run to score in the opening frame.

Longwood looked to bounce back with a two-out rally in the second, but a walk and single from Michael Osinski (1-for-4) went by the wayside as Warner induced a fly ball to left to end the threat.

The Runnin' Bulldogs went right back to work with the sticks, tacking on a third run on a pair of singles, aided by a wild pitch which advanced the runner into scoring position. It was Gage Parham who delivered the base knock down the right field line to extend the Gardner-Webb lead to 3-0.

An inning later, Gardner-Webb struck for a pair once again to wrest control and send Warner sailing toward the complete-game shutout. Like the opening frame, Thacker was heavily involved as the backstop led off the inning with a single back through the box. Fulginiti followed with a single of his own before a hit batsman loaded the bases for the Runnin' Bulldogs and chased Vick from the game.

The Lancers turned to Allen Ellis out of the bullpen, but he tough found it tough sledding, issuing a walk to the first batter he faced to force in a run. After a fielder's choice recorded the first out of the inning, another free pass made it 5-0 Gardner-Webb.

Longwood went to the 'pen once more, this time turning to Ryan Jones who induced a foul pop to end the inning with the bases loaded. The sidewinder extended for 3.2 innings of relief work, scattering five hits and allowing just a single unearned run in a solid performance.

The Lancers had limited opportunities to score as Warner dominated from start to finish, despite striking out just four batters. By far, Longwood's best scoring chance came in the third as the blue and white loaded the bases on a single and two walks. Brandon Harvell (1-for-4) started the rally with a two-out single through the left side of the infield. He would advance to third after Kyri Washington (1-for-3) and Travis Biddix drew back-to-back walks. But, Warner escaped the jam with a fly ball to left, leaving the bases loaded
and turning away Longwood's best threat of the day.

While the Lancers could not complete the sweep, the weekend was still an overwhelming success as Longwood secured a berth to the Big South Tournament in two weeks. With Radford's sweep of Charleston Southern, the Lancers sit seventh in the standings heading into the final week of the regular season. Depending on the outcome of Longwood's series with Winthrop, the blue and white can finish as high as fourth in the conference.

Longwood will make the short trip to Durham, N.C., to take on the Duke Blue Devils Tuesday afternoon before ending the season with a Thursday-Saturday series versus Winthrop at Buddy Bolding Stadium.

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