Pembroke, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs scored 11 runs in the first five innings Tuesday afternoon, cruising to an 11-3 victory at UNC Pembroke in NCAA Division II baseball action. Wingate wins its sixth straight game, improving to 14-7 overall. The Braves fall to 12-6 on the season.
Senior outfielder
Bill Krebs (West Chester, Pa.) led the offense with two homers and three RBI. Sophomore designated hitter
Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) also homered for the Bulldogs, driving in a pair of runs. Junior infielder
Colby Barnette (Monroe, N.C.) had two doubles and two RBI, while freshman infielder
Zach Little (Troutman, N.C.) added three hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Junior outfielder
Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) collected three hits including a triple, driving in a run while scoring three times.
Wingate jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Singles from Billings and Little put runners on the corners for Krebs, who plated Billings with a sacrifice fly. Brown's RBI single made it 2-0.
The Bulldogs scored four times in the second to push the lead to six. A walk and two singles loaded the bases for Little, who made it 3-0 with an RBI single. A wild pitch plated the second run of the frame, while Barnette's two-run double put the 'Dogs on top by six.
An RBI triple from Billings in the third made it 7-0. He would then score on an RBI single from Little.
Krebs led off the fourth inning with a solo shot down the left field line, his fourth homer of the year to make it 9-0. Brown put Wingate in double figures when he connected on his second homer of the year two batters later, a solo shot to right to make it 10-0.
Krebs blasted his second homer of the day and fifth of the year in the fifth, a solo shot to left to make it 11-0.
UNCP got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, getting a pair of bases runners via Wingate errors before a two-run double from
Nick Debo made it 11-2.
Nolan Pierce led off the ninth with a solo homer to make the final margin 11-3.
Sophomore right-hander
Hunter Morgan (Summerfield, N.C.) got the win, moving to 1-1. He allowed two unearned runs on just three hits in five innings of work, striking out four and walking one.
James Buie (Rockingham, N.C.),
Danny Dunning (Mint Hill, N.C.) and
Cameron Price (Indian Trail, N.C.) each added a hitless inning of relief for the Bulldogs.
Justin Pegram took the loss, falling to 0-1. He allowed two runs on three hits in one inning of work.
Wingate is back in action Friday, traveling to Lincoln Memorial to open a three-game SAC series at 4 p.m.
