Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior running back Blake Hayes (Greenville, S.C.) had 28 carries for 136 yards as the Bulldogs claimed a 19-0 South Atlantic Conference home triumph over the Tusculum College Pioneers at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field Saturday. Hayes established career-highs in both carries and yards with his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game.
 
Wingate improves to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the SAC. Tusculum is now 1-5 and 1-3 in conference action. The wet-and-messy contest marks the first time Tusculum has been shutout since Oct. 15, 2005 in a 38-0 loss to Carson-Newman, a span of 119 consecutive games. The Bulldog defense held the visiting Pioneers to 63 yards total offense and four first downs Saturday.
 
"This was a great team win under adverse circumstances," Wingate head football coach Joe Reich says. "I am very proud of our defense for getting the shutout as well. The offensive line did a great job of just grinding it out and controlling the clock."
 
Wingate struck first offensively with a three-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back Lawrence Pittman (Charlotte, N.C.) to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 advantage with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter. Pittman finished with 15 carries for 34 yards in the contest. The score was his NCAA Division II-leading 15th touchdown of the season.
 
A 12-yard touchdown run by WU redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Johnson (Hickory, N.C.) extended the Wingate lead out to 14-0 at the 9:11 mark in the second quarter of play. Johnson also contributed 11 carries for 52 yards in the ground game. The 'Dogs took a 17-0 advantage on a 23-yard field goal by senior place-kicker and William V. Campbell Trophy semi-finalist Caleb Baird (Kinston, N.C.) with 6:14 to go in the second quarter.
 
The Wingate special teams executed their first blocked punt of the 2016 campaign by senior defensive end Ray Edwards (Sacramento, Calif.) for a team safety to make it a 19-0 ballgame with 45 seconds left in the second stanza. The Bulldogs maintained a 19-0 advantage going into the halftime break. Neither team scored in the second half as the 'Dogs held on for the victory.
 
WU redshirt sophomore wide receiver Adam Riley II (Lawrenceville, Ga.) led the Bulldog receiving corps with two receptions for 20 yards. Senior wide receiver Jordan Berry (Irmo, S.C.) also had two catches for 16 yards.
 
Tusculum freshman running back Tony Belle (Jacksonville, Fla.) had 17 carries for 73 yards to lead the Pioneer offense. Junior wide receiver and Weddington High School product Evan Altizer (Weddington, N.C.) finished with two receptions for 14 yards.
 
On the Bulldog defensive side, redshirt senior defensive end Andre Foulks (York, S.C.) and redshirt senior linebacker Mackenzie Battle (Simpsonville, S.C.) both had six tackles each. Redshirt junior linebacker Zack Singleton (Germantown, N.C.) and senior defensive tackle Josh Mills (Gastonia, N.C.) finished with four tackles each. Singleton and Mills collected one fumble recovery each for a combined 10 yards.
 
The Bulldog defensive unit forced three total turnovers with a forced fumble by senior defensive lineman Shalon Moore (San Bernardino, Calif.). Singleton and junior defensive back Cedric Jones (Memphis, Tenn.) each had an interception.
 
Tusculum senior defensive lineman Brent Williams (Los Angeles, Calif.) led the Pioneer defensive team with 12 tackles on the afternoon. Senior defensive back Cameron Thomas (Nicholasville, Ky.) and junior linebacker L'Keith Brown (Athens, Ga.) both tied for second on the TC team total list with 10 stops each.
 
The Wingate University football team will be in action for a critical conference match-up against the Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears next Saturday at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field. Last season, the Bulldogs defeated the (then) 16th-ranked LRU Bears by a score of 24-14 in Hickory, N.C. for one of Wingate's most exciting victories of the 2015 campaign. Kick-off for next weekend's showdown is slated for 1:34 p.m. with the contest airing on ESPN3.
 
(Wingate University athletic media relations/sports network student assistant Jackson Kaplan contributed this article. A sophomore from Raleigh, Kaplan is a Communication Studies major at Wingate. He is the son of Harrison and Dona Kaplan.)