SHELBY, N.C. (Interstat) — Reid Bertram delivered a dominant seven-inning start to lead the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs to a 9-4 victory over the Longwood Lancers in the rubber match of their Big South Conference series Sunday at John Henry Moss Stadium.

The game, which began in the afternoon and concluded in the evening, saw Gardner-Webb erase an early deficit with a six-run fourth inning to secure the series win.

Longwood struck first in the opening frame. Carter J. singled, stole second, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI single by Jon B. The Lancers’ early 1-0 lead was short-lived.

Gardner-Webb answered immediately in the bottom of the first. After a two-out single by Kelvin Agosto, Matt Ilgenfritz connected on a two-run homer to right-center field, putting the Runnin’ Bulldogs ahead 2-1.

The home team extended its lead in the second. A single by Allan Camarillo drove in Peter Liao, who had singled and stolen second, making it 3-1.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the bottom of the fourth inning, when Gardner-Webb broke the game open by sending 11 batters to the plate. The rally started with consecutive singles from Chase Thompson and Nate Hausner. Liao then reached on a bunt sacrifice and a throwing error by the Longwood third baseman, allowing Thompson to score the tying run.

After a pitching change, Diego Guevara delivered a two-run single up the middle to give Gardner-Webb a 6-3 lead. Camarillo followed with an RBI double, and Agosto later added a run-scoring single. When the dust settled, the Runnin’ Bulldogs had scored six runs on five hits, capitalizing on an error and a passed ball, to take an 8-3 command.

Gardner-Webb added its final run in the fifth on a wild pitch.

Bertram, the top star for Gardner-Webb, was instrumental in the win. He allowed two earned runs on five hits over seven strong innings, striking out eight and walking none. His performance provided crucial stability after a difficult outing his last time out.

Longwood tacked on single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Brogan Jones drove in a run with a ground-rule double in the seventh, and a fielder’s choice by Mason Tufts plated another in the eighth, but the Lancers could not mount a serious comeback.

Colby Humphries earned a save for Gardner-Webb, pitching 1 2/3 perfect innings of relief with one strikeout. Joe Gomez and Wyatt Bunch provided scoreless relief outings for Longwood.

Camarillo led Gardner-Webb’s 11-hit attack, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Guevara added two hits and two RBIs, while Agosto had two hits and an RBI.

With the win, Gardner-Webb improved to 12-8 overall and claimed the weekend series after splitting the first two games. Longwood fell to 14-6. The result defied the projection of Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 7-5 Longwood victory, though it aligned with the system’s ELO rating that favored Gardner-Webb.

Longwood next hosts William & Mary on Tuesday. Gardner-Webb travels to face Western Carolina on Tuesday.