Pensacola, Fla.----The Wingate University baseball team split an NCAA Division II baseball doubleheader at the University of West Florida Saturday at Jim Spooner Field. The visiting Bulldogs won the first game 3-1, while the number 29 Argos picked up a 10-2 triumph in the nightcap.

The South Atlantic Conference regular season champions, Wingate is 28-16 overall. The Gulf South Conference member UWF Argos are 31-15 overall. The two teams will finish the three-game series with a 1 p.m. EDT contest Sunday.

Game #1
Wingate 3, #29 West Florida 1

Wingate redshirt freshman first baseman Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie and give the Bulldogs the series-opening victory. On the afternoon, Yeung was two-for-three with the home run, a walk and two RBI. He also recorded 16 put-outs (in two games) to keep his fielding percentage at a sterling .989.

In the fateful seventh, Bulldog sophomore outfielder Dodson McPherson (Graham, N.C.) singled through the right side and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior designated hitter Tres Ramirez (Ocala, Fla.). Yeung followed with his home run to settle the final margin.

The Argos took a 1-0 lead after the first inning of play. Senior second baseman Kyle Brown (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) doubled and moved to third on a Bulldog error. Brown scored on an RBI sacrifice fly by junior third baseman Dustin Lawley (Bessemer, Ala.).

The Bulldogs tied the game with a single spot in the top of the third inning. Sophomore third baseman Jacob Karr (Richmond, Va.) reached on a hit batsman to open the frame. Karr moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior catcher Taylor Honeycutt (Indian Trail, N.C.). He scored on an RBI single up the middle by senior second baseman Logan Isaacs (Raleigh, N.C.).

McPherson supported Yeung’s effort with a two-for-four performance. Isaacs and sophomore shortstop Chris Vazquez (Tyrone, Ga.) had Wingate’s other hits. West Florida had 13 hits; the Argos left a whopping 15 runners on base in the opener. Junior designated hitter Zach Taylor (Vandiver, Ala.) was four-for-four with four singles. Brown and Lawley contributed two hits each.

Bulldog senior reliever Lee Oxendine (Laurinburg, N.C.) earned the victory, pitching 2 1/3 innings of spotless relief. The Scotland High School product (3-2 overall) struck out two and walked one, giving up three hits. Junior Cameron Falcon (Durham, N.C.) kept the door closed for the visitors, recording his second save of the season. Falcon pitched a one-hit ninth, posting two strikeouts.

Wingate senior starter Tyler Almond (Oakboro, N.C.) worked 5 2/3 innings. Almond allowed one unearned run, while scattering nine hits (eight singles, one double). The West Stanly High School graduate struck out two and walked four.

West Florida junior Jason Postill (Orlando, Fla.) took the complete-game loss to fall to 5-4 overall on the season. In nine innings, Postill allowed three earned runs on six hits. He struck out a season-high 11, while walking three. The Tallahassee Community College transfer threw 123 pitches Saturday.

Game #2
#29 West Florida 10, Wingate 2

West Florida scored 10 runs on 13 hits to pick up the split. The Argos scored at least one run in each of the first five innings. UWF senior first baseman Zach Cates (Mobile, Ala.) was three-for-four with a double, one RBI and three runs scored. Four teammates had two hits each.

For Wingate, sophomore outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) collected both RBI. The 2009 SAC Freshman of the Year hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. In the sixth frame, Allison contributed an RBI groundout. The run-scoring play plated Vazquez, who had singled and moved to third on two wild pitches.

The Argos took a 6-0 lead after three innings. The hosts scored three runs in the third frame, chasing Wingate junior starter Marc Rape (Lancaster, S.C.). Cates contributed an RBI double to the UWF cause in the third inning.

In 2 1/3 innings, Rape gave up six runs (five earned) on seven hits. He posted one strikeout. Rape is 4-2 overall this season. West Florida junior starter Daniel Vargas-Vila (Jacksonville, Fla.) earned the victory, improving his 2010 ledger to 7-2 overall. In six complete innings, Vargas-Vila gave up two earned runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked one.