Pembroke, N.C.----The 21st-ranked Braves of UNC Pembroke topped Wingate University 6-3 in NCAA Division II baseball action Wednesday night. The Braves improve to 28-11 overall, while the Bulldogs fall to 27-15 overall on the season.
Junior infielder Jason Coker (Charlotte, N.C.) went three-for-four with two RBI and a run scored to lead the UNCP attack. Junior outfielder Kenny Mickens (Las Vegas, Calif.) added two hits and three RBI for the Braves, while sophomore outfielder Kyle Mastroianni (Charlotte, N.C.) was two-for-three with a run scored. UNCP had 10 hits on the night, all singles.
Sophomore shortstop Chris Vazquez (Tyrone, Ga.) went three-for-four with a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Junior designated hitter Tres Ramirez (Ocala, Fla.) was three-for-five with a run scored for the Bulldogs.
The Braves scored three runs in the first, getting an RBI single from Coker, followed by a two-run single from Mickens. The Bulldogs answered with a pair of runs in the second. Redshirt senior outfielder Nick Siega-Riz (Clemmons, N.C.) drove home the first run while reaching on an error. Vazquez would draw a bases-loaded walk to cut the UNCP lead to 3-2.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the fourth on a solo homer from Vazquez, his seventh round-tripper of the year. Coker gave the Braves the lead in the fifth on an RBI single. Mickens made it 5-3 with another RBI single. UNC Pembroke added one more run in the sixth on a Wingate error for the 6-3 final.
UNC Pembroke freshman left-hander Andrew MacDonald (Pinebluff, N.C.) got the win, improving to 3-0 on the year. He allowed three runs on five hits in five innings of work while striking out nine. Wingate sophomore right-hander Jim Ealy (Angier, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 0-2 on the year. He allowed three runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning.
Wingate returns to action Saturday, traveling to the University of West Florida for a doubleheader at 4 p.m. EDT. The Braves host number eight Francis Marion University Saturday at 1 p.m.
(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.)
