BOONE, N.C. ? Appalachian State University baseball dug out of an early 4-0 hole with 11-straight runs and held on for an 12-10 victory over Gardner-Webb on Wednesday evening at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.

With the triumph, Appalachian (19-16) extended its winning streak to eight games. ASU has won 13 of its last 15 after a 6-14 start.

As has become the norm in their mid-week contests, the Mountaineers fell into an early hole, as Gardner-Webb (17-15) scored four runs in the top of the first inning. The Apps trailed 5-0 after one inning last Tuesday at Tennessee and this Tuesday against ETSU but battled back for victories in both games.

Appalachian erased the deficit and then some with an eight-run second inning. The first eight batters of the inning reached base, highlighted by a three-run home run by Jerod Faggart and a grand slam by Isaac Harrow. Rand Smith extended his hitting streak to 24 games ? one shy of the ASU record ? with an RBI single in the frame.

The Mountaineers added three more runs in the third to extend their lead to 11-4. Wes Hobson drove in a run with one of his four singles on the evening and Chris Alessandria drove a two-run double to right center field to account for the scoring in the third.

Gardner-Webb rallied for five runs in the fifth and added another run in the sixth to cut the deficit to 11-10. The Mountaineers' lead almost evaporated completely on a double down the left field line by GWU's Ty Boyles with two outs in the sixth, but Alessandria tracked the ball down in the corner and made a strong throw to shortstop Nick DeRose, whose relay to catcher Jeremy Dowdy easily beat Max Fulginiti ? who was trying to score from second on the play ? to the plate. Dowdy bobbled the throw and a collision ensued. Fulginiti was called out due to not avoiding contact on the play at the plate as required by NCAA rules.

Appalachian added an insurance run when Harrow led off the eighth with a double and came around to score on a wild pitch. The run proved to be unnecessary, however, as ASU relievers Nick Daniels and Chris Patterson combined to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the final three innings. Patterson allowed only one hit in working the final two stanzas for his first-career save.

Taylor Miller (2-2) came on with two outs in the bottom of the first and held GWU scoreless over the next three frames to earn the win.

Bulldogs starter Michael Lewis (2-1) surrendered seven runs in one-plus inning of work to suffer his first loss of the season. The ?Dogs were led offensively by Fulginiti, who finished 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

In the midst of its longest winning streak since 1996, Appalachian travels to perennial Southern Conference-power College of Charleston for a pivotal three-game series this weekend. The series lid-lifter is set for 6 p.m. Friday at Charleston's Patriots Point Park.