BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Conner Leonard helped Appalachian State build an early lead,
Kaleb Bowman thwarted a middle-inning rally and the Mountaineers rewarded Bowman's effort with a three-run sixth that provided some separation in an 8-4 road victory at Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night.
Leonard hit a two-run homer in the second inning and an RBI single in a two-run third as App State (6-16) jumped ahead 4-0. The Runnin' Bulldogs (13-14) scored twice in the bottom of the third before cutting their deficit to 4-3 in the fourth, but Bowman (1-0) relieved starter
Brandon Boone with runners at the corners and ended the threat with a strikeout.
Bowman struck out two more batters in a scoreless fifth to set the stage for a three-run top of the sixth that gave Appalachian a 7-3 advantage.
Alex Leshock finished 3-for-6 at the plate with an RBI triple, three runs scored and one stolen base from the leadoff spot, and Leonard's 16th career homer was part of a 2-for-5 night with three RBIs.
Drew Beck had a third-inning RBI single and a hit-by-pitch RBI to cap a three-run sixth, which included
CJ Brown's RBI double to score catcher
Riley Smith from first and Leshock's RBI triple.
Boone, Bowman,
Reed Howell,
Cameron Kepley and
Luke Watts limited Gardner-Webb to five hits, as Kepley and Watts both had two strikeouts in perfect innings to close the victory. With his sixth straight scoreless appearance, Bowman has recorded 14 strikeouts and allowed no runs on five hits over his 8.0 innings during that stretch.
Offensively, Beck's leadoff walk in the second inning preceded a one-out shot over the left-field fence from Leonard, who homered for the third time this season.
Leshock led off the second inning with a single, stole second base and moved to third on a
Bailey Welch single before scoring on Beck's single. Leonard's infield hit to a diving shortstop brought home Welch.
Gardner-Webb cut its deficit in half with Corey Howard's two-run double in the bottom of the third. The Bulldogs had runners at the corners with one out when Smith threw out a potential base stealer at second, and Boone ended the inning with a strikeout.
A leadoff error, one-out walk and two-out single contributed to an unearned run against Boone before Bowman took the mound in the fourth. He kept the Runnin' Bulldogs at bay until Appalachian had its first six batters of the sixth inning reach base.
Smith singled to right and scored on Brown's double off the wall in left-center by sliding under a tag following an aggressive wave home from his head coach. A high-rising hit down the right-field line dropped for a triple by Leshock, and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Beck, who was hit by a 1-2 pitch.
Gardner-Webb added a run in the sixth on JP McGuire's solo homer, and Leshock scored an unearned run by racing home from first on a two-out outfield error in the top of the seventh. Howell, Kepley and Watts finished off the game from there.
App State heads directly from Boiling Springs toward Mobile, Ala., for a three-day Sun Belt Conference series that begins Thursday at South Alabama.
