VIDEO: Postgame Press Conference - Jeff Gregory, Jimmy Doolittle, Bill Krebs
Thomasville, N.C.----Wingate University redshirt freshman right-hander
Jimmy Doolittle (Charlotte, N.C.) took a perfect game into the eighth inning Friday afternoon, leading the fifth-seeded Bulldogs to a 2-0 victory over sixth-seeded North Greenville University in an NCAA Division II Southeast Regional elimination game at Finch Field. Wingate improves to 33-25 overall, while the Crusaders end their season at 29-25 on the year. It is the first NCAA Tournament victory for the Bulldogs since Wingate won a pair of games in 1995.
Junior outfielder
Bill Krebs (West Chester, Pa.) was one-for-two with two runs scored to lead the Wingate offense. Krebs has scored all three runs for the Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament. Senior outfielder
Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) drove in a run for Wingate, while SAC Freshman of the Year
Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) went one-for-three with a double.
Krebs led off the third with a single through the left side, while All-Region infielder
Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) followed with a single to right center. A sacrifice from senior
Michael Godinez (Cutler Bay, Fla.) put runners on second and third for Spitz, who plated Krebs with an RBI groundout to make it 1-0.
Wingate added some insurance in the eighth. Krebs drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a Billings sacrifice, then went to third on a passed ball. Krebs scored his third run of the tournament on a wild pitch, giving Wingate a two-run lead.
Doolittle was dominant from the start. He got through the first two innings in 20 pitches, getting a pair of strikeouts. Back-to-back strikeouts ended the fourth, while the right-hander added another punchout in the fifth. A flyout, groundout and strikeout in the seventh sent the perfect game to the eighth. Doolittle struck out the first two hitters swinging. He had
Drew Lipscomb down in the count 1-2, but the left-hander was able to sneak a soft liner through first and second base to get NGU its first base runner of the game. A groundout ended the frame.
A four-pitch walk started the NGU ninth, but Doolittle responded by getting back-to-back groundouts. He induced a game-winning flyout on his 105th pitch of the day. Doolittle faced two hitters over the minimum on Friday.
Doolittle moves to 4-6 on the season. He allowed just the one single in nine innings of work, striking out eight and walking one, notching his second complete game of the season.
Hunter Dilworth took the loss, falling to 4-4. He allowed a run on four hits in seven innings of work, striking out five and walking one. Friday's game took just one hour and 42 minutes.
The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday on day three of the NCAA Southeast Regional. Wingate will play at 3 p.m. on Saturday. If Catawba wins its game Friday, the Bulldogs will take on the loser of Friday night's Mount Olive vs. North Georgia game. If Catawba loses, Wingate will face Georgia College on Saturday.
