FARMVILLE, Va. – One big inning changed the tenor of the game on Saturday between Longwood baseball and Gardner-Webb.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs (13-15, 3-5 Big South) hit a couple of home runs and batted around in the sixth to pull away from the Lancers (8-19, 3-2 Big South) before winning 12-5.
 
James Nelson had a solid day at the plate for Longwood with a pair of base hits, and he drove in three of Longwood's five runs, but GWU had a career day from Ethan Liao in response. The left fielder hit two homers and drove in five runs.
 
SCORING:
               R             H            E
GWU     12           13           1
LWU      5             9             0
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Gardner-Webb struck in the first inning on a Dale Francis RBI double down the line. Francis hit three doubles on the day.
 
However, the Lancers responded. Myles Webb hit a sacrifice fly to center field, and Tre Keels came home to even the score at one after one inning.
 
Neither side got on the board until Liao did some damage in the fourth. He swatted a two-run home run to left center for a 3-1 lead.
 
Nelson then countered with a two-run jack to left field that equalized the game in the fifth, but GWU bounced right back in the sixth.
 
Matt Ilgenfritz, fresh off two home runs yesterday, blasted a no-doubter to left field for his only hit of the day, but the two-run home run put GWU up 5-3. That started a snowball, and GWU brought home four more runs, all with two outs, to pile up a 9-3 lead that Francis capped with an RBI single to left.
 
Liao added his second homer of the day in the top of the ninth.
 
The Lancers plated two runs in the home half of the inning, but the deficit was too big.
 
Jace Presley (1-0) came on in relief of Gardner-Webb starter Nick Vieira to earn the win, his first of the season. Vieira tossed the opening 4.2 innings, giving up only three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three, but he induced soft contact. Meanwhile, Presley closed it out, limiting Longwood to two runs on four hits with four strikeouts.
 
Guillermo Garcia, Jr. (3-3) took the loss for Longwood. He struck out eight in 5.2 innings of work, but GWU scored seven runs, all earned, on eight hits and a walk.

WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"We have to find a way to stop the big inning from happening," said Longwood Head Coach Ray Noe. "Crooked numbers have killed us all year and today was yet again the same."

"Tomorrow is big for us," Noe added. "We have to find a way to salvage the weekend and take one. Excited to see Ried out there tomorrow and let him do his thing on the mound."

UP NEXT:
 
Longwood plays the final game of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower