Wingate, N.C.----The UNC Pembroke Braves collected 23 hits Wednesday night en route to a 17-2 victory over Wingate University in NCAA Division II baseball action at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field. The Braves improve to 23-9 overall while the Bulldogs fall to 19-15 on the season.
Nick Debo had a double and four RBI to lead the UNCP attack, while
Justin Dattilo and
Nolan Pierce both homered for the Braves.
Nick Salisbury drove in three runs and scored three runs, while
Stibel Aleman Saba had four hits, two RBI and four runs scored.
Roberto Rivera added three hits, an RBI and two runs scored for UNCP.
Junior outfielder
Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) had two hits and an RBI to lead the Wingate attack. Junior catcher
Logan Pingley (Madison Heights, Va.) added a double and an RBI, while senior first baseman
Tyler Simmons (Charlotte, N.C.) had a pair of hits for the Bulldogs.
UNC Pembroke scored a run in each of the first two innings, taking a 2-0 lead on Price's solo homer in the second.
The Braves scored five times in the fourth to take a seven-run lead, getting RBI singles from Rivera, Salisbury, Saba, Debo and
Christian Snider.
Wingate got on the board in the fourth. Freshman
Austin Turgeon (Athens, Ga.) reached on a one-out single, then scored on Pingley's RBI double to right center, making it 7-1.
Debo's two-run single in the sixth put the braves on top by eight. Salisbury added a two-run triple in the seventh, while an RBI single from Saba later in the frame made it 12-1.
An RBI single from Billings in the bottom of the frame made it 12-2. UNCP pushed the lead back to 11 on an RBI single from Pierce in the eighth. The Braves scored four more runs in the ninth, highlighted by Dattilo's two-run homer to make the final margin 17-2.
Daniel Batts got the win, moving to 3-0. He allowed a run on two hits in two innings of work, striking out two. Freshman right-hander
Lane Wildman (Virginia Beach, Va.) took the loss, falling to 1-1. He allowed an earned run on four hits in 1 1/3 innings, striking out two and walking one.
Wingate is back in action Friday, opening a three-game SAC series at Tusculum at 6 p.m.