Mount Olive, N.C.----Three Wingate University Bulldog pitchers combined to pile up 20 strikeouts Tuesday night, leading the 'Dogs to a 6-1 victory at the University of Mount Olive in NCAA Division II baseball action. Wingate wins its fourth straight, improving to 12-8 overall, while the Trojans fall to 15-5 on the season.
Freshman outfielder
Joseph Mason (Morehead City, N.C.) had a homer and two RBI to lead the Wingate offense, while sophomore outfielder
Austin Turgeon (Athens, Ga.) added three hits including a triple, driving in a run and scoring a run. Junior outfielder
Ty Andrus (Winston-Salem, N.C.) contributed a hit, RBI and run scored, while junior first baseman
Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.) added a double and an RBI.
Mason got Wingate on the board with an RBI single in the second, while a sacrifice fly from Andrus plated Turgeon to make it 2-0. Turgeon's RBI triple in the third inning gave the 'Dogs a three-run lead.
Mount Olive got on the board in the bottom of the third when
Ricky Surum's RBI single made it 3-1.
A sacrifice fly from
Reece Daniel (Asheboro, N.C.) gave the Bulldogs a 4-1 advantage in the fifth. Mason connected on a solo homer in the eighth, his fifth long ball of the year to push the lead to four, while Brown's RBI double made it 6-1.
That would be plenty for the Wingate pitching staff. Freshman right-hander
Alex Rodriguez (Kannapolis, N.C.) got the start, allowing a run on three hits while striking out five in 3 1/3 innings of work. Senior right-hander
Cameron Price (Indian Trail, N.C.) piled up six strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings, allowing two hits without allowing a run to earn the win.
Junior left-hander
Kory Behenna (Bahama, N.C.) tossed the final 3 1/3 innings, striking out nine of the 11 batters he faced without allowing a hit. He entered the game with two outs in the sixth, stranding runners on second and third with a strikeout. He struck out the side in the seventh, while also notching three strikeouts in the eighth, but one reached on a wild pitch. After getting a popout to start the ninth, Behenna notched two more strikeouts to end it.
Price moves to 2-0 on the season after his 2 1/3 shutout innings. Behenna earns his second save of the year, working the final 3 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or walk. The Bulldogs piled up 20 strikeouts against just three walks and five hits, all of which were singles.
Braxton Shetley took the loss, falling to 1-3. He allowed three runs on four hits in four innings of work.
The Bulldogs and Trojans meet against Wednesday, with first pitch slated for 2:30 p.m.
