Mars Hill, N.C.----The Mars Hill College Lions overcame an eight-run deficit in game one, rallying for a 15-10 victory over the visiting Bulldogs of Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference baseball action Saturday afternoon. Wingate responded with a 15-3 victory in game two, taking two games in the three-game weekend series. The Bulldogs move to 28-21 overall and 14-13 in the SAC, clinching the four seed in next week’s Food Lion SAC Tournament. Mars Hill finishes the regular season 17-31 overall and 9-18 in the conference.
 
Game One: Mars Hill 15, Wingate 10
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 9-1 lead in the fourth inning, but Mars Hill scored eight in the fifth, then added three more in the seventh and eighth innings to rally for the victory.
 
Senior infielder Coty Pate (Knoxville, Tenn.) had two homers, a double and six RBI to lead the Mars Hill attack. Freshman outfielder Tommy Scala (Coram, N.Y.) was three-for-five with two RBI and two runs scored, while senior infielder Christian Diaz (Mansfield, Texas) added a triple, two RBI and two runs scored for the Lions.
 
Senior outfielder Casey Allison (Horse Shoe, N.C.) had a double, homer and three RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Redshirt junior first baseman Brian Yeung (Raleigh, N.C.) added a homer and two RBI, while junior catcher Jason Hunter (West Chester, Pa.) also had a homer and two RBI for the Bulldogs. Freshman outfielder Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) was three-for-five with two doubles and three runs scored.
 
Spitz led off the game with a double, then scored on an RBI single from senior infielder Jacob Karr (Richmond, Va.) to make it 1-0. Allison followed with his league-best 19th homer of the year to push the lead to two. Hunter led off the second with a solo shot to center, while Karr’s RBI double gave the ‘Dogs a 4-0 lead.
 
Pate got Mars Hill on the board with a solo homer in the second, making it 4-1. Wingate answered with five runs in the fourth to take an eight-run lead. Allison plated the first two runs with a double to left, while Yeung’s two-run shot made it 8-1. An RBI single from Hunter put the Bulldogs on top by eight.
 
The Lions exploded for eight runs in the fifth to tie the game at nine. Mars Hill loaded the bases, with the first two runs scoring via a hit batsman and a walk. Pate’s two-run double, followed by Scala’s two-run single made it 9-7. A wild pitch plated another run, while an RBI single from senior infielder Tyler Reboulet (Fishers, Ind.) tied the game at nine.
 
The Bulldogs regained the lead in the sixth when senior infielder Chris Vazquez (Tyrone, Ga.) delivered with a two-out RBI single. The Lions had the answer in the seventh, plating three runs to take their first lead of the day. A two-run triple from Diaz gave Mars Hill an 11-10 lead. He scored on an RBI groundout from Reboulet to push the lead to two.
 
Mars Hill added three more runs in the eighth, making the final margin 15-10 when Pate connected on his second homer of the day and 14th of the year, a three-run shot to center.
 
Senior right-hander Tony Hearrell (Charlotte, N.C.) got the win, improving to 2-3 on the year. He tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out four while allowing just one hit. Senior right-hander Ryan Fitzpatrick (Jacksonville, Fla.) took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits in two innings of work, falling to 3-3 on the year.
 
Game Two: Wingate 15, Mars Hill 3
 
Allison had a double, homer and five RBI to lead the Wingate attack in game two. Hunter was two-for-four with a double and four RBI, while senior outfielder Dodson McPherson (Graham, N.C.) was two-for-three with a double, three RBI and two runs scored. Spitz added three hits and three runs scored, while Karr went two-for-three with a double and three runs scored.
 
Mars Hill was limited to just three hits in game two, with the lone RBI coming from freshman catcher Matt Mayo (Enfield, Conn.).
 
Wingate got on the board in the second, loading the bases with no outs. Hunter’s RBI single plated the first run, while an RBI groundout from Vazquez made it 2-0. Karr led off the third with a double, then scored on a sacrifice fly from McPherson to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
 
The Lions got on the board in the third, scoring a pair of runs. Freshman infielder Shawn Weber (Concord, N.C.) started the inning by reaching on a wild pitch after striking out. Senior infielder Michael Bueker (Cooper City, Fla.) followed with a single, while both runners moved up on a sacrifice. After a strikeout, both runs would score on a wild pitch, which included a throwing error by the catcher, cutting Wingate’s lead to one.
 
The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the fifth via a bunt single, hit batsman and walk. Freshman catcher Josh Clark (Clemmons, N.C.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, giving Wingate a two-run advantage. Hunter followed with the big blow of the inning, a three-run double to left center to make it 7-2.
 
Mars Hill answered by loading the bases in the bottom of the fifth via a hit batsman and two walks. A bases-loaded walk to Mayo plated a run to make it 7-3, but the Lions could not add any more runs, leaving the bases loaded.
 
The Bulldogs added some more insurance in the sixth when Allison connected on his 20th homer of the season, a three-run shot to make it 10-3. Wingate blasted 12 homers in the three-game series, getting four from Allison. The Bulldogs now have  a nation’s best 84 homers in 2012, which ranks fourth on the league’s all-time singles season charts. Allison has 42 career long balls, good for seventh in SAC history.
 
Allison’s two-run double in the seventh made it 12-3, while McPherson added a two-run double pushed the lead to 11. Freshman outfielder Blake Throneburg (Graham, N.C.) added an RBI double to make the final margin 15-3.
 
Senior right-hander Kyle Brady (Cincinnati, Ohio) got the win, improving to 2-1 overall. He tossed a scoreless inning in relief, striking out one. Junior right-hander Josh Dean (Nederland, Texas) took the loss, allowing seven earned runs on nine hits in five innings of work, falling to 4-6.
 
Wingate will be the four seed in next week’s Food Lion SAC Tournament. The Bulldogs will take on the third-seeded Tornados of Brevard College Thursday in Forest City, N.C.