Wingate, N.C.----Catawba College senior quarterback Mike Sheehan (Wilmington, N.C.) finished 13-of-19 for 229 yards and two touchdown passes as the Catawba Indians earned a 48-26 road victory over Wingate University in South Atlantic Conference football action at Irwin Belk Stadium and John R. Martin Field Saturday. The WU Bulldogs fall to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the SAC. Catawba improves to 2-2 and 2-0 in conference play.
 
The Bulldogs are back in action next Saturday when hit the road to Gaffney, S.C. to face the Limestone College Saints in a non-conference showdown. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Catawba visits Newberry College for a SAC night contest next Saturday.
 
"I feel like we are a much better team than we showed on the field today," Wingate head coach Joe Reich says. "We can't turn the ball over multiple times and expect to win a game. We just need to execute better fundamentally and limit our mistakes."
 
The Indians began the scoring at the 8:46 mark in the first quarter on a two-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore wide receiver Joseph Dress (Moncks Corner, S.C.) to give Catawba an early 7-0 advantage.
 
A successful 36-yard field goal attempt by senior place kicker Caleb Baird (Kinston, N.C.) trimmed the deficit down to 7-3 with 40 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Indians extended their lead to 14-3 on a five-yard rushing touchdown from Sheehan to make it a 14-3 ballgame.
 
At the 6:35 mark in the second quarter, Wingate junior running back Lawrence Pittman (Charlotte, N.C.) fumbled the ball after a 14-yard rushing gain. The pigskin was recovered by Catawba senior defensive back Case Woodard (Snellville, Ga.) and returned 54 yards for a touchdown. The Indians maintained a 21-3 lead going into the halftime break.
 
Wingate looked to gain some momentum in the second half after a Joseph Dress fumble was returned 98 yards for a Bulldog touchdown by WU graduate student defensive back Cornel Cheron (Miami, Fla.) to trim the margin to 21-10 with 13:54 to go in the third quarter. A 34-yard passing touchdown by Sheehan to sophomore tight end Jourdan Osinskie (Greensboro, N.C.) to make it a 28-10 Catawba advantage with 9:59 in the third quarter.
 
Another rushing touchdown by Sheehan from four yards out gave the Indians a commanding 35-10 lead at the 4:22 mark in the third quarter of play. A 24-yard field goal from Baird made it a 35-13 game as the Bulldogs attempted the comeback trail with 20 seconds remaining in the third.
 
Catawba answered quickly with back-to-back scores. The first came on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Sheehan to junior wide receiver and local Parkwood High School product Sam Mobley (Monroe, N.C.) to give the Indians a 42-13 advantage at the 13:12 mark in the fourth quarter. The second score was due to a five-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore quarterback Reid Carlton (Lecanto, Fla.) to make it a 49-13 contest.
 
Wingate would respond with a five-yard passing touchdown from redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Johnson (Hickory, N.C.) to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Adam Riley II (Lawrenceville, Ga.) to cut the deficit to 48-20 with 9:23 in the fourth quarter of play. A two-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back Blake Hayes (Greenville, S.C.) made the score 48-26 Catawba with 3:50 remaining in the ballgame. The Indians would hold on for the victory.
 
"It was frustrating because I feel like we are just as good of a team as Catawba," Reich says. "We are just hurting ourselves. There were many sloppy turnovers, but we have the ability to fix those mistakes to get ready for next week."
 
Johnson finished 13-of-21 for 162 yards and one passing touchdown. WU senior wide receiver Jordan Berry (Irmo, S.C.) led the Bulldog receiving corps with five receptions for 45 yards. Adam Riley II hauled in three catches for 44 yards and a receiving touchdown. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jay Hood (Lancaster, S.C.) had two catches for 37 total yards.
 
Lawrence Pittman continued his stellar third-year campaign in the Navy Blue and Vegas Gold with his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance. The Mallard Creek High School product finished with 21 carries for 156 yards.
 
On the Catawba offense, Sheehan led the run-game with 13 carries for 54 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Junior running back Eamon Smart (Cape Coral, Fla.) had 16 touches for 49 yards. Junior wide receiver Keyon West (North Augusta, S.C.) led the Indian pass catchers with three receptions for 51 yards.
 
For the Wingate defense, redshirt senior linebacker Mackenzie Battle (Simpsonville, S.C.) finished first on the WU team list with 14 total tackles. Redshirt junior linebacker Zack Singleton (Germantown, N.C.) was second with 12 tackles in the contest.
 
Case Woodard led the Catawba defensive side with 10 total tackles. Senior defensive back Chris Carpenter (Fredericksburg, Va.) placed second on the Indian team charts with seven tackles Saturday.
 
The Wingate University football team travels south to the Palmetto State next Saturday for a crucial non-conference battle with Limestone College. Last year, the Bulldogs claimed a tightly-contested home victory over the Saints by a final score of 17-12.
 
"Next week is our opportunity to bounce back and regroup from this game," Reich says. "We need to have a new sense of urgency in how we practice and how we prepare. Our guys will need to focus and lock in to make sure we don't make the same costly mistakes."
 
(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.)