Kodak, Tenn.----Carson Simpson's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave Wingate University an 8-7 victory over the top-seeded and 13th-ranked Catawba College Indians in an elimination game on day four of the 2021 South Atlantic Conference baseball tournament. Wingate advances to day five on Monday, improving to 28-12 overall. The Indians are eliminated from the SAC Tournament, falling to 32-9 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-hit Catawba 15-8
- The Indians had four of the seven extra-base hits; the 'Dogs had the lone homer
- The Bulldogs left nine on base; the Indians stranded five
- Each team committed an error
- Catawba pitching had seven strikeouts and two walks; WU had five strikeouts and three walks

KEY BULLDOGS

- Logan McNeely went four-for-five with two doubles and two RBI
- Hunter Dula added two hits including a homer, driving in two and scoring twice
- Simpson was two-for-four with two RBI and a run scored
- Andrew McKay added a pair of hits and an RBI
- Gehrig Christopher went two-for-four with a pair of runs scored
- Justin Guy and McCann Mellett each added a hit and run scored
- David Nash went seven innings, striking out four while allowing five runs
- Mac Callari tossed two shutout innings to earn the win

THIRD INNING

- Hunter Shepherd got the Indians on the board with an RBI single
- Jeremy Simpson followed with a three-run double to give Catawba a 4-0 lead
- McNeely led off the bottom of the frame with a double
- He scored when Dula launched his second homer of the day, a two-run shot to right

FOURTH INNING

- Wingate scored three times in the fourth to take the lead
- A walk and hit batsman put two on to start the inning
- Mellett followed with a bunt single, with an error on the play allowing Simpson to score
- McNeely followed with a two-run double to right center, giving the 'Dogs a 5-4 advantage

SEVENTH INNING

- Wingate strung together four straight two-out hits to add to its lead
- Christopher and Dula started the two-out rally with back-to-back singles
- McKay ripped an RBI single up the middle to plate Christopher
- Simpson followed with an RBI single to drive home Dula and make it 7-4

EIGHTH INNING

- Catawba scored three times in the eighth to tie it
- Shepherd's RBI double started the scoring
- A Zack Miller RBI double pulled the Indians within one; a Joe Butts RBI double tied it at seven

NINTH INNING

- Callari set down the Indians in order in the top of the frame
- Catawba sent 2021 SAC Pitcher of the Year Bryan Ketchie to the mound in the bottom of the frame
- Christopher started the inning with a single, then went to second on a one-out single from McKay
- Simpson followed by lining the game-winning RBI single to right, plating Christopher to end it

WRAPUP

- Callari got the win, moving to 2-1
- He allowed just one hit in two shutout innings, striking out one
- Ketchie took the loss, allowing a run on three hits in one-third of an inning, falling to 9-1

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Monday, facing Carson-Newman at 10 a.m.
- If the Bulldogs win, they would be back in action Monday at 4:30 p.m. for the championship