VIDEO | Jeff Gregory Interview
VIDEO | McCann Mellett Interview

Kodak, Tenn.----Facing elimination for the third time in four days, the fifth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs rolled to a 10-2 victory over the second-seeded Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters on day four of the 2019 South Atlantic Conference baseball tournament at Smokies Stadium. Wingate stays alive to play against Sunday night at 7:45 p.m. against Newberry, improving to 33-17 overall, while LMU is eliminated from the tournament, falling to 33-17 on the season. The Bulldogs have eliminated three teams from this year's tournament.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-hit LMU 14-4
- The 'Dogs had five of the seven extra-base hits including both homers
- The Railsplitters left 11 on base; the 'Dogs stranded seven
- Lincoln Memorial committed three of the four errors
- Wingate had the lone stolen base in the contest
- WU pitching struck out 10 and walked six; LMU had three strikeouts and two walks
- Eight different Bulldogs scored a run; seven different players scored, every player had at least one run or RBI

KEY BULLDOGS

- Nick Stegman threw 130 pitches, allowing a run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings
- McCann Mellett was two-for-four with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored
- Tanner Forry also homered, scoring two runs
- Ricky Clark added two hits and two RBI
- Tyler Schneider was three-for-five with a double, RBI and run scored
- Zach Little had a double, RBI and two runs scored
- Jed Bryant added a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored
- Hunter Dula contributed a double, RBI and run scored
- Andrew Llewellyn added an RBI while Justin Guy had a hit and scored a run

FIRST INNING

- A Tyler Adams RBI double gave LMU a 1-0 lead three batters in
- That was all the Railsplitters would get until the ninth
- Mellett ripped a one-out single in the bottom of the frame, then scored on Llewellyn's RBI single to tie it

THIRD INNING

- Bryant reached on an error with two outs
- Schneider followed with an RBI double to put Wingate on top 2-1

FOURTH INNING

- Forry's 11th homer of the season led off the fourth to put the 'Dogs on top by two

FIFTH INNING

- Wingate scored five times to blow things open
- Little drew a lead-off walk
- Mellett followed with his sixth homer of the year, a two-run shot to make it 5-1
- Dula lined an RBI double to right center to push the lead to five
- Clark added a two-out, two-run single to put the Bulldogs on to 8-1

EIGHTH INNING

- Guy lined a one-out single to right
- He scored when Little ripped an RBI double down the left field line
- Bryant followed with an RBI single to center to give Wingate a 10-1 advantage

WRAPUP

- Stegman got the win, moving to 3-0 on the year
- He allowed a run on three hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven and walking six
- Career high in pitches and innings pitched for the senior
- Sawyer Lee struck out the only batter he faced to end the seventh
- Lane Wildman allowed a run on a hit in two innings, striking out two
- Eli Wright took the loss, falling to 5-2
- He allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings, striking out one and walking one

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Sunday at 7:45 p.m. against #10 Newberry in another elimination game
- The winner is onto championship Monday
- The winner would have to defeat Catawba twice on Monday