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Forest City, N.C.----Wingate University sophomores TJ Rinoski (Yorktown, Va.) and Tyler Brown (Suffolk, Va.) combined for nine innings of four-hit shutout baseball Sunday afternoon, leading the second-seeded Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory over fifth-seeded Tusculum College on day four of the 2014 Food Lion SAC baseball tournament at McNair Field. Wingate moves to 31-15 overall, advancing to the SAC title game against Catawba at approximately 4:05 p.m. Sunday. Tusculum falls to 28-21.

The victory gives Wingate its fifth win of the year over the Pioneers. The Bulldogs swept a three-game series in the regular season, while opening the SAC Tournament with an 8-7 win over Tusculum Thursday. It is the first time in 65 SAC Tournament contests that Tusculum has been shutout. In Wingate's last three SAC Tournament games, the starting pitchers have allowed only two runs in 24 1/3 innings, striking out 23 and walking just two.

The Bulldogs will face Catawba for the SAC title Sunday afternoon. The Indians defeated Wingate 1-0 in 12 innings on Saturday night. Wingate's last SAC Tournament championship came in 2011 with a 7-1 win over Catawba in the title game.

Junior first baseman Brad Cherry (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) had a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense. Junior outfielder Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) went one-for-three with a double and an RBI, while senior outfielder Eric Serra (Miami, Fla.) was one-for-three with a run scored.
Wingate jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Serra started the rally with a one-out single, then scored on an RBI double to left center from Spitz.

The Bulldogs added to their lead in the fourth when Cherry connected on his second homer of the year, a two-run shot to left center to put Wingate on top 3-0.

Rinoski cruised through the first four innings, not allowing a TC hitter to reach second base until a hit batsman and wild pitch put a Pioneer on second with one out in the fifth. Rinoski got a flyout and strikeout to end the threat. Tusculum had a runner on second with one out in the sixth, but a popout and groundout ended the inning.

Tusculum started the seventh with a single and double, putting runners on second and third with no outs. After a flyout, a walk loaded the bases with one out. Sophomore right-hander Tyler Brown (Suffolk, Va.) entered the game and got out of the jam with a strikeout and flyout. The Tusculum eighth started with a pair of walks, but Brown induced a foulout and groundout to go along with a strikeout to keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard. Brown set the Pioneers down in order in the ninth to put the 'Dogs in the title game.

Rinoski got the win, moving to 2-2 on the year. He allowed four hits in 6 1/3 innings of work, striking out three and walking two. Brown notched his third save of the year, tossing 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief, striking out three and walking two. Ethan Carpenter took the loss, falling to 4-1. He allowed three runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking one.