Belmont, N.C.----The defending national champion Wingate University Bulldogs took their show on the road for the first time this season and the results were similar to the first seven games, with the second-ranked Bulldogs rolling to a 12-3 victory at Belmont Abbey in NCAA Division II baseball action. Wingate moves to 8-0 overall, while the Crusaders fall to 7-2 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Each team had nine hits on the day
- Each team had four extra-base hits and a homer
- The Crusaders committed all five errors on the afternoon
- The 'Dogs had three of the four stolen bases
- The Bulldogs left 15 on base; Belmont Abbey stranded seven
- WU pitching struck out 10 and walked three; BAC had five strikeouts and seven walks
- Abbey pitching also hit eight batters and had three wild pitches

KEY BULLDOGS

- Andrew McKay had a homer, two RBI and three runs scored to lead the offense
- Justin Guy added a hit, two RBI and a run scored
- Kell Smith drove in a pair of runs and scored a run
- Andrew Motstinger was two-for-five with a triple, RBI and two runs scored
- Jed Bryant added a double and an RBI
- Ricky Clark also had a double and an RBI
- Isaiah Williams-Rhem collected two hits, a stolen base and a run scored
- Brett Adams also scored a pair of runs for the Bulldogs
- Brent Walls got the win, striking out four in four innings of work
- Mitch Farris struck out two in three innings of work, allowing just one run
- Sean Barnett had a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless inning of relief
- Sam Broderson also struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning

THIRD INNING

- Motsinger led off the frame with a single, then went to second on an error and third on a groundout
- He scored on Bryant's sacrifice fly to get Wingate on the board
- Ben Ferguson's solo shot in the bottom of the frame tied it
- An RBI double from Adam Overcash put the Crusaders on top 2-1

FOURTH INNING

- Wingate answered with five runs in the top of the fourth
- McKay and Williams-Rhem started the frame with back-to-back singles
- Guy's RBI single tied it at two
- Smith plated Guy and Williams-Rhem when he reached on an error
- Motsinger's RBI triple gave Wingate a 6-2 lead

SIXTH INNING

- Adams was hit by a pitch with one out
- McKay followed with his first homer of the year, a two-run shot to left to give WU a six-run lead

SEVENTH INNING

- An RBI groundout from Ben Gobbel cut the deficit to five

EIGHTH INNING

- Williams-Rhem was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch, then stole third
- He scored on another wild pitch to make it 9-3

NINTH INNING

- Bryant drew a walk, with pinch-runner Dominic Byers stealing second and going to third on a passed ball
- He scored on Clark's RBI groundout to make it 10-3
- A walk and hit batsman loaded the bases
- Guy was hit by a pitch to plate Adams; McKay scored on a wild pitch to make it 12-3

WRAPUP

- Walls got the win, moving to 1-0 on the year
- He allowed two runs on six hits in four innings, striking out four
- Grant Lohmeier took the loss, allowing five runs on six hits in three innings

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back home for another three-game series this weekend against Kutztown
- The series starts with one game Friday at 4 p.m.
- The teams play a doubleheader Saturday, starting at 1 p.m.