Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs split a doubleheader against 16th-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference baseball action at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field. Wingate won the opener 8-6, snapping a 19-game LRU winning streak that dated back to last season. The Bears responded by winning game two 8-1. Wingate moves to 8-3 overall and 5-3 in the SAC, while the Bears move to 11-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play.
Game One: Wingate 8, #16 Lenoir-Rhyne 6The Bulldogs connected on three homers in game one, never trailing in the 8-6 win. Freshman designated hitter
Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) was three-for-four with a homer and three RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Redshirt senior
Brad Cherry (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) added a homer and two RBI, while sophomore infielder
Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) went two-for-five with a homer and two runs scored. Senior catcher
Josh Clark (Clemmons, N.C.) drove in a pair of runs while also scoring twice.
Colby Dishmond was two-for-four with two doubles and four RBI to lead the LRU attack in game one.
Brantley Rumford went two-for-five with a double, RBI and run scored, while
Ivan Vieitez also drove in a run for the Bears.
Nate Yates scored three times for Lenoir-Rhyne.
Wingate got on the board in the second thanks to an RBI single from Brown. The Bears tied the game in the top of the third on Rumford's RBI double.
The Bulldogs had the answer, scoring four times in the bottom of the third to take a 5-1 lead. Clark's two-run single started the scoring, while Brown followed with his second homer of the year, a towering two-run shot to left center to put the 'Dogs on top by four.
LRU scored three times in the fifth to cut the lead to one. Vieitez drew a bases-loaded walk to start the scoring, while Dishmond's two-run double made it 5-4.
Wingate added to its lead in the bottom of the frame when Cherry connected on his first homer of the year, a two-run shot to left to make it 7-4. LRU again had a response, cutting the lead to one on another two-run double from Dishmond.
Wingate got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Billings connected on his third homer of the season, a solo shot to right to make it 8-6. The 'Dogs kept the Bears off the board the final three innings, thanks to the effort out of the bullpen by right handers
Hunter Hamilton (Troy, N.C.) and
Tyler Brown (Suffolk, Va.).
Senior right-hander
Brett Morgan (Clemmons, N.C.) got the win, moving to 3-0 on the year. He allowed five earned runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking seven. Vieitez took the loss, falling to 2-1. He allowed seven runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out one and walking three. Brown got the save for Wingate, working 1 2/3 innings without allowing a hit, striking out one without walking a batter for his first save of the year.
Game Two: #16 Lenoir-Rhyne 8, Wingate 1Vieitez was three-for-four with a double and four RBI to lead the LRU attack in game two. Rumford added a double and two RBI, while
Josh Murphy and
Marcus Shoemaker each added an RBI, scoring a combined four runs. Two Lenoir-Rhyne pitchers combined to pile up 15 strikeouts in game two, with
Thomas St. Clair collecting 13 in 5 2/3 innings.
Junior outfielder
Nick Triplett (Shelby, N.C.) drove in the lone run for the Bulldogs in game two. Bradley Brown had a double for Wingate, while redshirt junior
Tyler Simmons (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a run.
Lenoir-Rhyne struck for three runs in the third, getting an RBI double from Rumford, followed by a two-run double from Vieitez. The Bears added four more runs in the fourth. RBI singles from Shoemaker and Murphy started the scoring, while a Rumford RBI groundout and Vieitez RBI single made it 7-0.
LRU took an 8-0 lead on another Vieitez RBI single in the sixth. Wingate got on the board in the bottom of the frame, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a Bradley Brown double. Triplett drew a bases-loaded walk to make the final margin 8-1.
St. Clair moved to 3-0 on the year, allowing a run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts and five walks, throwing 125 pitches. He struck out the side in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Redshirt freshman right-hander
Jimmy Doolittle (Charlotte, N.C.) took the loss, falling to 1-2. He allowed seven runs on 10 hits in four innings, striking out six without walking a batter.
The two teams are back in action Sunday, meeting for the final game of the series at 1 p.m. at Ron Christopher Stadium.
