Tigerville, S.C.----The 16th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs are the last unbeaten team remaining in the 2021 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional baseball tournament after piling up 19 runs on 19 hits in a 19-6 victory over #11 Mount Olive in a contest that started Friday night and ended Saturday morning due to a lightning delay. Wingate improves to 32-12 overall and will be back in action Saturday night. The Trojans fall to 36-11 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-hit Mount Olive 19-8
- The 'Dogs had eight of the 12 extra-base hits and four of the six homers
- The Trojans committed three of the five errors
- Mount Olive left nine on base; Wingate stranded eight
- The Bulldogs had the only two stolen bases in the contest
- WU pitching struck out 12 and walked four; UMO had six strikeouts and seven walks
- After falling behind 4-2, the Bulldogs scored 17 unanswered runs to take a 19-4 lead

KEY BULLDOGS

- All nine starters drove in a run and scored a run in the victory
- Hunter Dula went three-for-six with two homers, a double, five RBI and two runs scored
- McCann Mellett was three-for-six with a double, homer, four RBI and four runs scored
- Andrew McKay added four hits including a homer, scoring four runs
- Michael Dansky went three-for-four with two RBI and a run scored
- Gehrig Christopher drove in a pair of runs and scored a run
- Logan McNeely added two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored
- Carson Simpson went two-for-four with an RBI and two runs scored
- Justin Guy contributed a hit, RBI and two runs scored
- Jed Bryant drove in a run and scored a run
- Brody McCullough allowed three runs in five innings to earn the win
- Mitch Farris tossed the final four frames for the Bulldogs, piling up seven strikeouts to earn the save

NOTES

- Wingate is making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance
- Fourth appearance since 2011
- First time the 'Dogs have won the opening two NCAA Tourney games since 1995
- Most runs Wingate has ever scored in an NCAA Tournament game
- WU moves to 21-31 all-time against Mount Olive; 2-0 this season
- The Bulldogs have outscored the 11th-ranked Trojans 27-8 in two wins this year
- The 19 runs are the most Mount Olive has allowed in a game this season
- It is the most runs UMO has allowed since giving up 19 against Catawba in 2016
- Wingate scored in six straight innings, plating 17 runs in innings four through seven
- Second-most runs and hits for the Bulldogs this season
- The 'Dogs are now 15-1 when scoring over 10 runs and 27-2 when scoring at least six
- The Bulldogs are 9-1 when hitting multiple homers in a game
- Wingate has now won nine of its last 10, outscoring opponents 116-35
- WU is 6-1 in postseason play, outscoring the opposition 68-30
- The Bulldogs have scored at least eight runs in 10 of their last 12 games
- First career multi-homer game for Dula who also set a career high with five RBI
- Mellett is 10-for-16 his last four games with four homers, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored
- Fifth three-hit game of the season for Dansky
- First career four-hit game for McKay
- 10-game hitting streak for Simpson; nine-for-18 with nine RBI his last five games

FIRST INNING

- A Joe Mason RBI groundout gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first

SECOND INNING

- McKay started the Wingate scoring with a solo homer down the leftfield line in the second

THIRD INNING

- Mellett reached on an error to start the frame, then went to second on a wild pitch
- He scored on Dansky's RBI single to give the 'Dogs a 2-1 lead
- An error and a walk put two on for Mason in the bottom of the frame
- His three-run homer gave Mount Olive a 4-2 advantage
- Wingate would respond by scoring the next 17 runs in the contest

FOURTH INNING

- Dula started the fourth with a double, while McKay followed with a single and stolen base
- The first run of the frame scored when Guy reached on an error
- A Mellett RBI single tied it at four
- Bryant drew a bases-loaded walk to put the 'Dogs on top 5-4
- Christopher followed with a two-run single through the left side to put WU on top by three

FIFTH INNING

- Simpson was hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the fifth
- Two batters later Mellett crushed a two-run shot down the right field line to make it 9-4

SIXTH INNING

- McNeely led off the frame with a double, followed by a Bryant walk
- Dula connected on a three-run shot to left to put the 'Dogs on top 12-4
- That was the final pitch Friday night, with a lightning delay pushing the contest to Saturday
- The game restarted Saturday at 10 a.m. and the 'Dogs picked up right where they left off
- Singles from McKay and Simpson put two on for Guy
- His RBI single made it 13-4, while a Mellett RBI double pushed the lead to 10
- Dansky followed with an RBI single to make it a 15-4 game
- McNeely's sacrifice fly put the Bulldogs on top by 12

SEVENTH INNING

- Christopher drew a leadoff walk
- Dula followed with his second homer of the game and seventh of the year, a two-run shot to make it 19-4
- A pair of singles and a wild pitch in the bottom of the frame pushed a run across for UMO

NINTH INNING

- Mason's solo homer to start the frame made the final margin 19-6
 
WRAPUP

- McCullough got the win, moving to 6-2 on the year
- The All-Region pitcher allowed three earned runs on four hits in five innings, striking out five
- Farris earned the save, allowing two runs on four hits in four innings, striking out seven and walking one
- Reed Parris took the loss, allowing seven runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking four
- The All-Region pitcher falls to 8-3 on the year, giving up a season-high seven runs

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday at 8 p.m.
- The Bulldogs will take on the winner of Saturday's noon contest between Catawba and Mount Olive
- With five teams remaining in the regional, the 'Dogs are the only team without a loss