Mars Hill, N.C.----Five different Bulldogs connected on homers Friday afternoon as Wingate University scored 13 runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings en route to a 14-5 victory over Mars Hill University in South Atlantic Conference baseball action. Wingate wins its fifth straight, improving to 20-9 overall and 7-3 in the SAC. The Lions fall to 12-16 overall and 2-10 in league play.

KEY STATS

- The 'Dogs out-hit the Lions 15-9 on the day
- Wingate piled up nine extra-base hits; Mars Hill had three
- WU left five on base; MHU stranded four
- Wingate pitching had seven strikeouts and four walks; Mars Hill had two strikeouts and two walks
- The 'Dogs, who lead the nation in double plays, turned three more Friday afternoon
- The Bulldogs stole four bases; Mars Hill did not steal a base

KEY BULLDOGS

- McCann Mellett was four-for-five with a double, homer, four RBI and three runs scored
- Andrew Llewelyn had a homer and three RBI
- Tanner Forry collected a double and a homer
- Jed Bryant had a homer and two RBI
- Reece Daniel went two-for-five with a homer and two runs scored
- Zach Little contributed a double, three RBI and two runs scored, adding a stolen base
- Justin Guy added two hits, two stolen bases and two run scored
- Austin Turgeon went 7 2/3 innings to pick up the win

FIRST INNING

- Guy reached on an error to start the game, then stole second
- He scored on Mellett's RBI double to give Wingate a 1-0 lead

SECOND INNING

- Gray McCurry connected on a solo homer to tie it

THIRD INNING

-  Cody Cline led off the frame with a solo shot to give Mars Hill a 2- 1 lead

SIXTH INNING

- Mellett started things with a single, then moved to third on a Tyler Schneider double
- They both scored on Llewellyn's three-run homer to give Wingate a 4-2 lead

SEVENTH INNING

- Daniel led off the frame with a solo homer to make it 5-2
- Little was hit by a pitch, then stole his nation's-best 24th base in 24 attempts
- Mellett's RBI single gave Wingate a four-run advantage
- Bryant followed with his league-best 11th homer of the year, a two-run shot to make it 8-2

EIGHTH INNING

- Forry led off the inning with his sixth homer of the season to give the 'Dogs a seven-run lead
- Singles from Daniel and Guy, along with an error loaded the bases for Little
- He ripped a three-run double to left center to make it 12-2
- Mellett followed with his fifth homer of the season, a two-run bomb to give WU a 12-run lead
- Scottie Lee's two-run single highlighted a three-run bottom of the eighth for MHU, making it 12-5

WRAPUP

- Turgeon got the win, moving to 6-1 on the year
- The senior allowed three earned runs on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings, striking out six and walking three
- He ranks third in the SAC with his six wins, throwing a league-high 61 2/3 innings
- Turgeon has gone at least six innings in all eight starts, going seven or more his last seven starts
- Riley Edwards worked the final 1 1/3 innings, striking out one without allowing a run
- Cameron Howell took the loss, falling to 2-4
- He allowed four runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings

UP NEXT

- Wingate and Mars Hill wrap up the three-game series with a doubleheader Saturday
- Game one is slated to get underway at noon