Game One Box Score       Game Two Box Score

Belmont, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs swept a doubleheader over the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey in NCAA Division II softball action Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs won by scores of 6-1 and 15-2 (five innings) to improve to 9-1 on the year. The Crusaders fall to 5-5 overall.

Game One: Wingate 6, Belmont Abbey 1

Sophomore catcher Brittany Barrineau (Monroe, N.C.) was two-for-three with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored to lead Wingate’s offense. Junior designated player Emily Chavis (Berkeley Lake, Ga.) also drove in two runs, while senior shortstop Deb Grijalva (San Jose, Calif.) scored twice.

The Bulldogs got on the board first in the fourth, with Barrineau leading off the inning with a double, then scoring on an RBI single from senior infielder Leyila Myers (Marietta, Ga.). Grijalva scored the second run of the inning on a double play.

Wingate doubled its lead in the sixth on a two-run double from Chavis to make it 4-0. Belmont Abbey cut the lead to three on an RBI single from senior infielder Tara Ruebel (Winston-Salem, N.C.) in the bottom of the sixth.

The Bulldogs added two more insurance runs in the top of the seventh on Barrineau’s two-run double, making it 6-1.

Junior right-hander Brittany Blankenship (Midlothian, Va.) got the win, improving to 4-1 on the season. In 34 innings of work this year, the 2009 First Team All-SAC selection has a 0.82 ERA and 37 strikeouts against only four walks. On Saturday, Blankenship allowed one run on four hits while striking out nine. Freshman Kim Anders (Frederick, Md.) took the loss, falling to 2-2 on the year.

Game Two: Wingate 15, Belmont Abbey 2 (Five innings)

Grijalva was three-for-four with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored to lead the Bulldogs. Barrineau went three-for-four with three RBI and two runs scored. Senior outfielder LaRonda McClain (Kings Mountain, N.C.) went two-for-three with a triple, RBI and three runs scored.

McClain scored on an error in the first to give Wingate a 1-0 lead. An RBI walk from junior outfielder Jessica McCraw (Waxhaw, N.C.) in the second made it 2-0. Barrineau added a two-run single to make it 4-0. Grijalva’s RBI single capped the scoring in the second to put the Bulldogs up by five.

Belmont Abbey senior infielder Candace Cady (Cartersville, Ga.) delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the second. A bases-loaded walk cut Wingate’s lead to 5-2.

An RBI single from Barrineau in the third pushed the lead back to four. A three-run double by Grijalva gave the Bulldogs a 9-2 lead. An RBI single from Myers capped the five-run third inning, making it 10-2.

An RBI triple from McClain in the fourth pushed the Wingate lead to nine. The Bulldogs added four more runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run double from freshman utility player Stephanie Simmons (Hickory, N.C.) to make it 15-2.

Junior right-hander Allison Smith (Daleville, Va.) got the win, improving to 5-0 on the year. She allowed two runs on three hits in three innings while striking out three. Freshman Nancy Crawley (Cheraw, S.C.) pitched the final two innings from Wingate without allowing a hit. Freshman Emily Self (Cherryville, N.C.) took the loss, allowing five runs on two hits in one inning of work.

The Bulldogs return to action Sunday, hosting a doubleheader against St. Andrews at 1 p.m. The Crusaders are also in action Sunday, traveling to Coker for a 1 p.m. start.