Forest City, N.C.----The fifth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs piled up five doubles and five homers Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 17-3 victory over sixth-seeded Anderson University on day three of the South Atlantic Conference baseball tournament at McNair Field. Wingate improves to 28-21 overall, advancing to day four of the SAC Tournament. The Trojans are eliminated from the tournament, falling to 21-30.

Wingate scored 17 runs for the second time in three SAC Tournament games this season. The Bulldogs scored 17 runs in Thursday's win against Carson-Newman. The Bulldogs tied a season high with five homers, while scoring double-digit runs for the 20th time this year. Wingate now has a nation's-best 76 homers this year.

First team All-SAC outfielder Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) was two-for-four with a double, homer, four RBI and four runs scored to lead the Wingate attack. Senior infielder Michael Godinez (Cutler Bay, Fla.) added a homer, three RBI and three runs scored, while sophomore outfielder Colby Barnette (Monroe, N.C.) also had a homer and three RBI. First team All-SAC infielder Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) was four-for-six with three runs scored, while junior Bill Krebs (West Chester, Pa.) connected on a pair of homers. SAC Freshman of the Year Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) was three-for-four with an RBI and two runs scored, while seniors Brad Cherry (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) and Josh Clark (Clemmons, N.C.) each had two hits and two RBI for the Bulldogs.

Billings led off the bottom of the first with a double, while Godinez drew a walk. They both scored when Spitz connected on his 14th homer of the year, a three-run shot to center to make it 3-0. Anderson cut the lead to two when Brett Cash delivered a solo homer in the second inning.

Spitz drew a leadoff walk in the third, stole second, then scored on Clark's RBI single. Cherry added a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 5-1. Wingate plated four more runs in the fourth. Krebs started the frame with a solo shot to left. Godinez connected on his seventh homer of the year two batters later, a two-run shot to left to make it 8-1. Clark added an RBI groundout to push the lead to nine.

The Trojans cut the lead to six in the fifth, getting an RBI groundout from Stephen McKnight and an RBI single from Kyle Bailey to make it 9-3.

The Bulldogs answered with five runs in the bottom of the frame. Godinez plated the first run with an RBI single, then scored on an RBI double from Spitz. Brown's RBI single would then plate Spitz to make it 12-3. Barnette followed with a three-run homer to left center, the 11th long ball of the year for the sophomore to give the 'Dogs a 15-3 advantage.

Junior outfielder Nick Triplett (Shelby, N.C.) reached on a two-out double in the seventh, then scored on an RBI single from Cherry to push the lead to 13. Krebs led off the eighth with his second homer of the day and ninth of the year to make the final margin 17-3.

Redshirt freshman Hunter Hamilton (Troy, N.C.) got the win, moving to 3-2. He tossed his first career complete game, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out four and walking three in the first nine-inning complete game for any Wingate pitcher this year. Hamilton threw 122 pitches on the day. Spencer Earle took the loss, falling to 1-6. He allowed five runs on five hits in two innings, striking out two and walking three.

Wingate is back in action Sunday afternoon on day four of the SAC Tournament. If Catawba wins on Saturday, the Bulldogs would face the loser of Saturday's Newberry vs. Tusculum game at 3:45 p.m. If Catawba loses Saturday, Wingate would face Lincoln Memorial Sunday at 12 p.m.