VIDEO | Press Conferenec (Jeff Gregory & Justin Guy)

Wingate, N.C.----The defending national champion Wingate University Bulldogs were never going to go down without a fight in 2022. Trailing by five runs in the eighth inning, Jed Bryant blasted a two-out pinch-hit grand slam to make it a one-run game, but ninth-ranked Columbus State held on from there for the 8-7 victory to advance to the super regionals. Wingate ends another historic season at 48-10 overall.

NOTES

- The 'Dogs won a program-record 48 games in 2022
- Wingate went 87-23 over the last two seasons
- The Bulldogs won 64 of their last 76 games going back to last year
- The 'Dogs piled up 18 postseason wins between 2021 and 2022
- WU was ranked #1 or #2 in every regular season poll in 2022
- The Bulldogs led the nation in wins and winning percentage in the regular season
- After winning the SAC Tourney title, regional championship and national title in 2021, WU added a regular season SAC championship in 2022
- Wingate had the SAC Coach of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year in 2022
- The 'Dogs also had the Region Coach and Pitcher of the Year
- The 48 wins are the second-most in SAC history
- The .828 winning percentage is also the second-best in league history

KEY STATS

- Each team had 14 hits
- CSU had five of the eight extra-base hits and three of the five homers
- The Cougars left 10 on base; the 'Dogs stranded seven
- Each team committed an error
- Columbus State had two of the three stolen bases
- CSU pitching struck out nine and walked one; WU had five strikeouts and five walks

KEY BULLDOGS

- Bryant led the 'Dogs with his four RBI on the day, blasting a grand slam in his lone at-bat
- Michael Dansky was two-for-five with a homer and two RBI
- Mitch Farris added a double, RBI and run scored
- Ricky Clark went three-for-five with a run scored
- Gehrig Christopher added a pair of hits and two runs scored
- Logan McNeely contributed a hit and a run scored
- Andrew Motsinger also had two hits for the 'Dogs, adding a stolen base
- Josh Dotson allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings, striking out two
- Corey Avant tossed a scoreless eighth inning in relief

FIRST INNING

- McNeely ripped a two-out single to right
- He scored when Farris split the gap in right center for an RBI double

SECOND INNING

- A solo shot from Derek Wylie tied it at one

THIRD INNING

- Dansky launched a two-out solo homer to right center to put the 'Dogs back on top
- Colby Brabston answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame to make it 2-2

FIFTH INNING

- Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for CSU
- David Meadows drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 3-2

SIXTH INNING

- An RBI groundout from Brabston gave the Cougars a two-run cushion

SEVENTH INNING

- Singles from Christopher and Brett Adams put runners on the corners for the 'Dogs
- Dansky's RBI single plated Christopher to make it 4-3
- CSU answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame
- Win Johns connected on a two-run bomb that made it 7-3
- Brabston added an RBI single to put the Cougars on top by five

EIGHTH INNING

- A Farris walk, followed by singles from Clark and Christopher loaded the bases with two outs
- Bryant launched the 0-1 pitch well over the fence in left center to clear the bases with a no-doubt grand slam and make it 8-7

NINTH INNING

- Peyton Burton retired the 'Dogs in order in the top of the ninth to secure the CSU win

WRAPUP

- Colton Joyner got the win, moving to 10-1
- He allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings, striking out seven without a walk
- Dotson took the loss, falling to 6-2 on the season