Box Score

Wingate, N.C.----A bases-loaded walk with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Wingate University Bulldogs a dramatic 2-1 win over the Pioneers of Tusculum College in South Atlantic Conference baseball action Friday night at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field. The Bulldogs improve to 8-5 overall and 5-2 in the SAC. Tusculum falls to 7-8 overall and 3-4 in the SAC.

Senior right-hander Tyler Almond (Oakboro, N.C.) went eight innings for the Bulldogs, allowing an unearned run on three hits while striking out a career-high 12. Sophomore infielder Logan Isaacs (Raleigh, N.C.) went three-for-four to lead the Wingate offense. Sophomore outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) went one-for-four with an RBI, while sophomore first baseman Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) was two-for-three.

“Winning on Friday is so important in this league,” Wingate head coach Allen Osborne says. “I am very proud of the way our guys grinded it out. Tyler (Almond) is a guy that everyone needs to see pitch, because you know you he will give everything he has.”

Four different players had a hit each for the Pioneers. Senior outfielder Jared Richmond (Fort Smith, Ark.) was one-for-four with a run scored. Tusculum got a solid start from junior right-hander Tyler Collins (Snellville, Ga.), who allowed an unearned run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of work.

The Bulldogs got on the board early, plating a run in the bottom of the first. Redshirt senior outfielder Nick Siega-Riz (Clemmons, N.C.) struck out to start the game, but reached on a passed ball. He went to third on a single from Isaacs, then scored on an Allison sacrifice fly.

The Pioneers answered in the fourth, with Richmond reaching on a lead-off single. He would score from first on a Bulldog error to tie the game at one.

Neither team would score again until the ninth. Tusculum had a runner on second in the eighth, but he was doubled up on a line-out to centerfield on what would be the final pitch of the night for Almond. The Pioneers had two on in the top of the ninth, but junior right-hander Cameron Falcon (Durham, N.C.) got out of the jam with a strikeout.

Sophomore infielder Jacob Karr (Richmond, Va.) led off the ninth with a pinch-hit single to right. Siega-Riz laid down a bunt to get senior pinch runner Jerome Henley (Carrboro, N.C.) to second base. After an intentional walk, strikeout and error, sophomore outfielder Dodson McPherson (Graham, N.C.) came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. He watched as the 3-1 pitch missed low and inside to drive in the winning run.

Falcon picked up the win, improving to 2-0 overall on the season. He pitched the ninth inning, allowing one hit while striking out one. Almond’s career-high 12 strikeouts came on 137 pitches, as he walked two. The pre-season All-SAC selection lowered his ERA to 1.96; he now has 33 strikeouts in 23 innings on the year. Eleven of his 12 strikeouts were swinging. Sophomore right-hander Kyle Smith (St. Petersburg, Fla.) took the loss, allowing an unearned run on two hits while striking out three in 2 1/3 innings of work. He falls to 0-3 overall on the year.

The two teams meet for a doubleheader Saturday, with game one set to start at 1 p.m. at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field. The Wingate Sports Network will provide a live PPV video broadcast for Saturday’s doubleheader.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)