Forest City, N.C.----The fifth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs concluded an incredible run through the 2015 South Atlantic Conference baseball tournament. Wingate defeated top-seeded and 11th-ranked Catawba 11-5 Sunday afternoon, after picking up an 8-2 win over the Indians earlier in the day. The Bulldogs improve to 32-21 overall, winning their first SAC Tournament title since 2011 and sixth all-time. Catawba falls to 38-12 overall.

Wingate's incredible run started Thursday. This was the first time that the SAC Tournament field was expanded to eight teams. Thursday's game was single elimination, which the Bulldogs won 17-9 against Carson-Newman. Wingate dropped  a 9-0 game to Newberry Friday on the first day of double elimination. The 'Dogs staved elimination for the second time with a 17-3 win over Anderson Saturday. Wingate eliminated Newberry Sunday with a 5-3 victory, while Sunday night's 12-8 win against Tusculum was the fourth straight elimination game the Bulldogs won. Wingate picked up an 8-2 win against Catawba Monday afternoon to setup the final championship game, which the 'Dogs rallied to take 11-5.

Wingate piled up 70 runs in the five days, posting a 6-1 record. The Bulldogs led the tournament in runs scored, while also posting a tournament-best .357 average, 14 homers and 22 doubles. The Bulldogs also pounded out a tournament-high 95 hits in seven games. Wingate won the title by going 4-0 on the final two days against the top three teams in the league, including picking up two wins Monday against regular season champion Catawba.

SAC Freshman of the Year Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) was three-for-five with a double, homer and four RBI to lead the Wingate attack. All-SAC outfielder Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) added two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored, while All-SAC infielder Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) was two-for-five with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Senior Josh Clark (Clemmons, N.C.) added a homer for the Bulldogs.

Luke Setzer had a homer and two RBI to lead the Catawba attack, while Will Albertson also homered for the Indians. T.J. Wharton had a double and an RBI, while Kyle Smith also drove in a run.

Albertson got Catawba on the board in the first, connecting on his league-best 25th homer of the year to make it 1-0. Smith's sacrifice fly in the second made it 2-0, while Setzer added a two-run shot later in the frame to push the lead to four.

Clark led off the bottom of the second with his ninth homer of the year, a solo shot to left to cut the lead to three. The Bulldogs added three runs in the third to tie it. A hit batsman and single put two on for Spitz, who lined a double to left to get Wingate within two. Brown followed with his 21st double of the year, driving in Spitz and Michael Godinez (Cutler Bay, Fla.) to make it 4-4.

The Bulldogs took their first lead in the fifth inning. Senior Brad Cherry (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) started the inning with a single, then moved to second on a Blake Prince (Winter Park, Fla.) single. Cherry scored on an RBI single from Billings to give the 'Dogs a 5-4 advantage.

Wingate exploded for five runs in the sixth to take a six-run lead. Billings plated the first run with an RBI double, while a Godinez sacrifice fly made it 7-4. Spitz followed with an RBI single to push the lead to four. Brown then connected on the 10th homer of his freshman year, a two-run shot to center to make it 10-4. Brown has 10 homers and 64 RBI in his first season at Wingate.

Wharton's RBI double in the eighth cut the lead to five.

The Bulldogs regained a six-run lead in the bottom of the eighth on another RBI double from Spitz. The senior was named the tournament MVP, going 15-for-29 (.517) with three homers, five doubles, 16 RBI and 12 runs scored in the seven games. On the Year, the Tino Martinez Award semi-finalist is hitting .393 with 16 homers, 19 doubles, 74 RBI and 77 runs scored to go along with four triples and 20 stolen bases.

Junior right-hander Tyler Brown (Suffolk, Va.) got the win in his third appearance of the SAC Tournament. He allowed a run on five hits in six innings of relief work, striking out two and walking one to move to 8-4. Brown is tied for fourth in the SAC in wins. He also got the win in Sunday's 5-3 win over Newberry. Bryan Blanton took the loss, falling to 1-2. He allowed a run on three hits in one inning of work.

The Bulldogs earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It will be Wingate's first trip since the 2011 season. The Bulldogs have four games scheduled before the regionals begin, starting with a contest at UNC Pembroke Wednesday at 6 p.m. The 'Dogs close out the regular season this weekend with a three-game series at Erskine on Friday and Saturday. The NCAA Southeast Regionals take place May 14-17.