Kodak, Tenn.----SAC Freshman of the Year Seaver King drove in five runs Monday afternoon, as the top-ranked and top-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs defeated Lenoir-Rhyne University 8-3 on day five of the South Atlantic Conference baseball tournament. The Bulldogs improve to 46-7 overall, forcing a decisive SAC championship game set to start at approximately 4:45 p.m. Monday afternoon. LR falls to 43-11 on the season. The Bulldogs have now won their last 10 tournament elimination games, winning three in last year's SAC Tournament, five at the Division II World Series, then two more so far in this year's tourney. Wingate is looking for back-to-back SAC Tournament championships.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-hit Lenoir-Rhyne 11-9
- The Bulldogs had all four extra-base hits and the lone homer
- WU pitching struck out 13 and walked two; LR had two strikeouts and five walks
- The Bears had two of the three stolen bases
- Each team left eight on base
- Lenoir-Rhyne committed the lone error of the contest
- The 'Dogs plated three runs apiece in each of the first two innings

KEY BULLDOGS

- King was two-for-four with a double, homer and five RBI
- Logan McNeely went three-for-four with a double, RBI and three runs scored
- Ricky Clark was one-for-two with an RBI and run scored, while also drawing two walks
- Mitch Farris added an RBI and run scored
- Isaiah Williams-Rhem collected two hits, a stolen base and a run scored
- Michael Dansky added a hit and scored a run
- Sam Brodersen struck out six in five innings to earn the win
- Jordan Howard struck out seven in four innings of work to earn the save

FIRST INNING

- After Brodersen struck out the side in the first, the 'Dogs plated three in the bottom of the frame
- McNeely ripped a two-out single up the middle, while a hit batter and walk loaded the bases
- King split the gap in right center for a bases-clearing three-run double to make it 3-0

SECOND INNING

- Wingate struck for three more runs in the second
- An error and Dansky single started the rally
- McNeely's RBI single plated Williams-Rhem, while Farris followed with an RBI groundout
- Clark plated McNeely with a two-out RBI single to make it 6-0

FOURTH INNING

- A sacrifice fly from Luis Atiles got the Bears on the board

SIXTH INNING

- Two walks and a single loaded the bases to start the top of the sixth
- Howard came in and limited the Bears to just one run
- After a groundout plated a run, Howard got back-to-back strikeouts to keep WU on top by four

SEVENTH INNING

- McNeely started the frame with a double
- King crushed a two-run shot to dead center, his eighth hit of the tourney to make it 8-2

WRAPUP

- Brodersen got the win, moving to 4-0 on the year
- The first team All-SAC reliever went five innings in his first start of the year, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six
- Howard worked the final four innings to notch his second save of the season
- He allowed a run on four hits in four innings, striking out seven without walking a batter
- Joey Cobb took the loss, allowing six runs on six hits in two innings, falling to 4-2 on the year

UP NEXT

- Wingate and LR meet at 4:45 p.m. Monday after for the final game of the SAC tournament
- The Bulldogs are looking for their second straight SAC Tourney title and eight tournament championship overall
- Wingate won twice on championship Monday last year to claim the title