BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – App State Baseball scored in each of its first five innings but conceded a five-run ninth inning to fall 11-10 at Gardner-Webb on Saturday.
The Mountaineers (7-3) have dropped the first two games of the series, with both losses coming in walk-off fashion. App State will look to salvage the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
App State jumped on the scoreboard just two batters into the game.
Nico Soul drew a walk and
Tank Yaghoubi followed with an RBI double to left field.
Drew DuPont plated a run with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 after half an inning.
Colton Denton hit his first career home run, a solo shot in the second inning, to push the advantage to 3-0.
Steven Smith delivered a two-run double in the third and Yaghoubi and
Jonathan Xuereb each tallied RBI singles in the fourth to extend the lead to 8-0. Yaghoubi finished the game with three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored.
Gage Peterson opened the ballgame strong on the mound with three straight scoreless innings, giving him 13 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to begin his season. Peterson ultimately tossed six innings, allowing five runs (four earned), while striking out six.
After Gardner-Webb (8-3) plated three runs in the fourth inning, App State responded with two in the top of the fifth. After
Ethan Puig led off with a walk and got into scoring position, Denton registered his second base hit of the ballgame with an RBI single.
Joseph Zamora followed with an RBI double as part of a three-hit game. Zamora reached base in all five plate appearances.
The Runnin' Bulldogs were able to settle in on the mound, thereafter, holding the Mountaineers scoreless after the fifth inning and allowing just one hit.
Trailing 10-6 in the bottom of the ninth, the Bulldogs saw seven of eight batters reach base in the final frame, with the lone out coming on a sacrifice fly. Drew Ripepi came through with the game-winning hit, a pinch-hit two-run single, to win 11-10.
The 2026 App State Baseball season is presented by Chick-fil-A.
