Salisbury, N.C.----The Catawba College men’s lacrosse team bolted to a 6-1 lead and withstood a Wingate University rally to take a 10-4 Deep South Conference first round tournament victory Tuesday night in Shuford Stadium and Kirkland Field. Catawba improves to 12-2 overall, while Wingate concludes the 2012 campaign 4-10 overall.

Catawba sophomore attack John Scheich (Waxhaw, N.C.) led the hosts with three goals and one assist. Sophomore attack Steven Ridolfo (Charlotte, N.C.) had two goals and one assist, while senior attack Braden Artem (Acton, Ontario) contributed one goal and one assist.
 
Four Bulldogs had one goal each: senior attack Travis Barrett (Andover, N.J.), senior midfield Bryan Bayliss (Lorton, Va.), senior attack David Lee (Greensboro, N.C.) and sophomore midfield Troy Press (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.). Wingate junior attack Derek Watts (Winston-Salem, N.C.) dished out two assists, while Bayliss recorded one helper.
 
The host Indians started the game on a 3-0 run. Scheich concluded the flurry with an unassisted goal at the 2:53 mark. Lee got the Bulldogs on the board 54 seconds later, tallying his team-best 25th goal of the season.
 
Catawba put together another 3-0 run to take a 6-1 advantage to the halftime locker room. Ridolfo started the scoring on an assist from Artem at the 10:39 plateau. Scheich tallied another unassisted goal (3:46) and junior midfield Tom Cullop (New Windsor, Md.) finished the outburst with an unassisted goal of his own 21 seconds later.
 
Wingate did not fold the tents, as the Bulldogs scored the first three goals of the second half to cut their deficit to 6-4. Barrett got things going on an assist from Watts at the 13:31 mark. Press scored on a boost from Bayliss (9:02), who scored Wingate’s final goal (7:52) to finish his first team All-DSC season with 19 goals and seven assists.
 
A Bulldog penalty six seconds later gave Catawba a man advantage. The Indians capitalized, as freshman midfield Adam Hebert (Charlotte, N.C.) scored on an assist from Ridolfo (7:12) to start a game-ending 4-0 run.
 
Scheich finished the third frame with an unassisted goal (1:48) to give the hosts an 8-4 edge entering the fourth quarter. Artem and Ridolfo scored in the fourth stanza to give the Indians additional insurance.
 
 Catawba held a 37-22 advantage in shots and a 33-28 edge in ground balls. Wingate won 11-of-18 face-offs, with sophomore midfield Bryce Sneed (Cary, N.C.) earning 10 victories in 16 tries.
 
Both goalkeepers went the distance. Catawba senior goalkeeper Michael Pecchia (Coquitlam, B.C.) posted nine saves. Bulldog senior Danny Dlugozima (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) made seven of his 11 saves in the first half to keep Wingate within striking distance.
 
(Thank you to Catawba SID Jim Lewis for his contributions to this story.)