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Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs swept a doubleheader over the Eagles of Carson-Newman College in South Atlantic Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field. The Bulldogs won 6-5 and 6-0 to improve to 27-13 overall and 19-5 in the SAC. The victories clinch a regular season SAC title for the Bulldogs, their first since the 2000 season.

The 19 conference victories are the second most in the school's NCAA history, trailing only the 1995 team (20 league victories). Wingate also won SAC regular season titles in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2000. Carson-Newman falls to 28-13 overall and 14-7 in the SAC.

"When I first got here, our staff said that it would take about 1,000 days to get our guys to buy into our vision and turn the program around to where it should be," head coach Allen Osborne says. "They (the players) are the main reason for our success and I just try to hold on tight and steer the ship. We talked this morning during our pre-game meal that we wanted to get on them early. We had to make sure we took it to them instead of sitting back and responding to what they did."


Game #1
Wingate 6, Carson-Newman 5       BOX SCORE

The Bulldogs plated a pair of runs in the eighth to overcome a 5-4 deficit for the 6-5 win. Junior pinch hitter Cale Rogers (Snow Camp, N.C.) drove home the game's winning run in the eighth, plating redshirt senior outfielder Nick Siega-Riz (Clemmons, N.C.), who tied the game with an RBI single of his own.

Sophomore outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) had a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Sophomore shortstop Chris Vazquez (Tyrone, Ga.) was three-for-five with a run scored. Sophomore outfielder Dodson McPherson (Graham, N.C.) and junior designated hitter Tres Ramirez (Ocala, Fla.) each went two-for-four, combining for an RBI and two runs scored.

Junior outfielder Evan Patterson (Knoxville, Tenn.) was two-for-five with two RBI and a run scored to lead the Carson-Newman attack. Junior infielder Wesley Dozier (Cornelius, N.C.) added a one-for-three day with an RBI and a run scored, while freshman infielder Tyler Davis (Carrollton, Ga.) was one-for-three with a double, RBI and run scored for the Eagles.

The Bulldogs got on the board in the first, when Allison blasted a two-run homer of the foul pole in left field to make it 2-0. The Eagles scored twice in the fifth to tie it. Dozier scored on a sacrifice fly from Davis to make it 2-1. Patterson then delivered an RBI single to tie the game at two.

Wingate answered with two more runs in the sixth to regain the lead. Senior infielder Logan Isaacs (Raleigh, N.C.) led off the inning with his seventh homer of the year, a solo shot to right to make it 3-2. McPherson lined a double to right field, then scored on an RBI double from Ramirez to put Wingate on top by two.

The Eagles responded with two runs in the seventh to tie it once again. Patterson made it 4-3 with an RBI single. He would steal second, go to third on an error, then score on a wild pitch to tie the game at four.

Carson-Newman took its first lead of the game in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Dozier. The Eagles looked to add more with runners on second and third with one out, but junior right-hander Cameron Falcon (Durham, N.C.) came in and induced a pair of groundouts to end the inning.

Ramirez started the Wingate eighth by reaching on an error. He moved to second on a sacrifice, then scored on the RBI single through the right side from Siega-Riz, tying the game at five. After a groundout, the Bulldogs turned to Rogers, who had one at bat all season coming into Saturday. He bounced a 3-1 pitch up the middle and through the infield to plate Siega-Riz from third to give Wingate the 6-5 advantage.

Falcon got the Eagles in order in the ninth to move to 3-0 overall on the season. He pitched the final 1 2/3 innings without allowing a hit, striking out one. Junior right-hander DJ Ferguson (Jupiter, Fla.) took the loss, falling to 6-3 overall on the year. He allowed two runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings of work.

Game #2
Wingate 6, Carson-Newman 0       BOX SCORE

Junior right-hander Marc Rape (Lancaster, S.C.) notched his second complete-game shutout of the year, while Allison added a three-for-three effort in game two as the Bulldogs won 6-0. Redshirt freshman first baseman Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) was one-for-two with a double, two RBI and a run scored. Sophomore infielder Jacob Karr (Richmond, Va.) added a solo homer for the Bulldogs.

Wingate jumped out to an early lead, scoring four first-inning runs. Vazquez started the game with a double down the left field line, then scored on an RBI single from Allison. Yeung lined a two-run double to center to push the lead to three. He would score on an RBI single from Siega-Riz to make it 4-0.

The Bulldogs added two more runs in the fourth. Karr led off the inning with a solo homer to left field. McPherson added an RBI single to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 advantage.

The six-run cushion would be plenty for Rape, who improves to 4-1 overall on the season. He allowed only four singles on the afternoon, while striking out four and walking three. Rape had a pair of double plays turned behind him; he needed only 84 pitches for his second complete game. Senior outfielder Jeff Lockwood (Knoxville, Tenn.) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings to fall to 1-1 overall on the year.

"I just wanted to contribute and I expected to have a great year," Siega-Riz says, talking about coming back from surgery last season. "We knew we were talented and with leadership, we knew we could turn it around. The Tusculum series was the real key. We hadn't had much recent success against them; sweeping them made us realize we can do it and spring-boarded us into the rest of the season."

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, traveling to Catawba College for a non-conference game at 7 p.m. Carson-Newman travels to King (Tenn.) College on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. start.

(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.)