Boiling Springs, N.C. – Pascanel Ferreras collected his second RBI single on a base knock up the middle to plate the game-tying run in the top half of the fifth inning on Wednesday evening, but Gardner-Webb answered by producing a pair of big frames to score the nonconference victory at Bill Masters Field.
 
Gardner-Webb, which won its fourth-straight game, hit three home runs in outslugging the Catamounts 11-to-9 with all nine of the Catamount hits coming as singles. WCU also stranded 12 runners on base in the loss. The Runnin' Bulldogs used a six-run fifth and added a four-spot in the seventh to post the victory.
 
Gardner-Webb (5-4) homered twice over the first two frames to build a 3-0 lead through two complete before the Catamounts got on the board in the top of the third. Zach Ketterman singled home Kyle Harbison ahead of Ferreras who laced a run-scoring single to left field to bring home Kyle Riesselmann in making it a one-run game through three.
 
Two innings later, Ferreras struck again in plating Riesselmann with a single that tied the game at three apiece. However, the Runnin' Bulldogs erupted for six runs in home half of the fifth inning as a part of outscoring the Catamounts 11-1 over the final five innings to pull away for the victory.
 
Ferreras and Riesselmann both finished 2-for-4 with the latter scoring two of the squad's four runs. Ketterman walked twice and collected an RBI on his lone hit with Jack Spyke pushing across WCU's final run in the seventh inning to score Nate Stocum who finished 1-for-3 with a pair of free passes.
 
Freshman reliever Brandon Eldridge (0-1) was saddled with the loss out of the bullpen, tagged for two runs on just one hit with a walk and a team-high three strikeouts. Coby Ingle struck out two over two innings of work in the starting role with transfer Landon Henley making his WCU debut striking out a pair in an inning of work. Tom Brosnahan also recorded one strikeout in tossing an inning of relief.
 
Jacob McCaskey led three Runnin' Bulldogs with multi-hit games, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBI, two scoring on his first-inning home run. Peter Capobianco (2-for-4) and Mark Black (1-for-3) also homered for Gardner-Webb with Jacob Marcos also collecting a pair of hits.
 
Reliever Luke Goodyear (1-1) tallied the victory, tossing 2.1 innings out of the bullpen with three strikeouts after starter Reid Bertram struck out five over four innings of work. Gardner-Webb recorded a combined 11 strikeouts on the mound.
 
Western Carolina (2-7) returns home to host the Eastern Kentucky Colonels (4-5) for a three-game nonconference series at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. The EKU series is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday with coverage scheduled on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) and continues at 2 p.m. on Saturday and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. (Game times subject to change based on weather conditions).
 
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