SHELBY, N.C. (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth contest that stretched from afternoon into evening, the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs staged a stunning six-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to stun the Appalachian State Mountaineers 11-10 on Saturday at John Henry Moss Stadium.

The victory, sealed by a two-run, walk-off single by pinch-hitter Ripepi, gave Gardner-Webb its second consecutive one-run win in the series after a 12-inning triumph the afternoon before. It improved the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ record to 8-3, while the Mountaineers fell to 7-3.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly the bottom of the ninth inning, a chaotic and dramatic frame that saw Gardner-Webb erase a four-run deficit. Appalachian State entered the inning leading 10-5, having built its advantage early with a relentless offensive attack that capitalized on several Gardner-Webb fielding errors.

Gardner-Webb’s comeback began immediately against Appalachian State reliever Jordan Fisher. Matt Ilgenfritz, who had homered earlier, singled and was followed by a walk to Hausner. After a pitching change, Agosto loaded the bases with a single. Kennell drove in the first run of the inning on a fielder’s choice, making it 10-6. Ector then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, cutting the deficit to three.

With two runners still on, catcher Zack Thompson delivered a crucial single to left, driving in another run to bring the score to 10-8. A single by Liao re-loaded the bases, setting the stage for Ripepi. With the crowd on its feet, Ripepi lined a single back up the middle, scoring both Thompson and Kennell to complete the improbable rally and trigger a celebration at home plate.

The ending overshadowed a game that Appalachian State had controlled for much of the day. The Mountaineers scored two in the first on an RBI double by Tank Yaghoubi and a groundout, then added a solo home run by Colton Denton in the second. They broke things open with a five-run fourth inning, fueled by two Gardner-Webb errors, to take a 9-0 lead. Yaghoubi finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Joseph Zamora went 3-for-3 with an RBI.

Gardner-Webb began chipping away in the fourth, scoring three runs, two of which were unearned. Ilgenfritz’s two-run homer in the fifth made it 10-5, but the Mountaineers’ bullpen, aided by strong relief outings from Connor Busson, Brendan Lysik and Nicholas Blaszczak for Gardner-Webb, kept the Runnin’ Bulldogs off the board from the sixth through the eighth innings.

Appalachian State starter Gage Peterson worked six innings, allowing five runs, though only one was earned, on four hits while striking out six. The Mountaineers’ defense committed three errors behind him.

Gardner-Webb’s bullpen trio of Busson, Lysik and Blaszczak combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out six to keep the game within reach. Ilgenfritz and Thompson provided the offensive backbone for the Runnin’ Bulldogs, with Ilgenfritz going 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and three runs scored, and Thompson driving in two runs on a 3-for-5 day.

The win defied the pregame projections from Interstat, which gave Appalachian State a 64.3% probability to win and projected an 8-6 final score.

The teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon.