Hickory, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs opened league play in style, rolling to a 14-0 run-rule victory at #5 Lenoir-Rhyne University in South Atlantic Conference baseball action Friday afternoon. Wingate moves to 6-2 overall and 1-0 in the SAC, while the Bears fall to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in league play. It is the first time LR has been shut out in 170 games. The Bears were 29-2 at home last season, and scored 43 runs in their first three games this year.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-hit Lenoir-Rhyne 10-4
- The 'Dogs had all five extra-base hits including the lone homer
- The Bulldogs left 13 on base; the Bears stranded six
- LR committed all there errors in the contest
- WU pitching struck out six and walked one; LR had eight strikeouts and 14 walks

KEY BULLDOGS

- Chad Harvey tossed seven shutout frames, allowing four singles while striking out six
- Gavin Groppuso had a double, triple, homer, three RBI and four runs scored
- Jake Courville added a double, three RBI and two runs scored
- Bradley Hart added a hit, two RBI and run scored, adding a pair of walks
- Jalen Evans was three-for-four with two RBI and a run scored
- Tanner McCammon contributed a hit, RBI and two runs scored
- Bowen Powell added a hit, RBI and run scored, drawing two walks
- Ben Karpowicz drove in a run and scored twice, drawing three walks
- Reed Benamati also drove in a run

FIRST INNING

- An error, walk and McCammon single loaded the bases for the 'Dogs in the top of the first
- Courville's two-out, three-run double got Wingate on the board
- An RBI double from Evans plated Courville to make it 4-0

SECOND INNING

- A Groppuso double and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for the Bulldogs
- McCammon and Karpowicz drew bases-loaded walks to stretch the lead to six
- Hart's sacrifice fly put the 'Dogs on top 7-0

THIRD INNING

- Groppuso led off the inning with a triple
- He scored on Powell's RBI single to extend the cushion to eight

SIXTH INNING

- Singles from Hart and Evans started the inning
- Groppuso crushed a three-run shot to right to make it 11-0

SEVENTH INNING

- A hit batter and two walks once again loaded the bases for the 'Dogs
- Hart drew a bases-loaded walk to add another run
- An RBI single from Evans pushed the advantage to 13
- An RBI groundout from Benamati made the final margin 14-0

WRAPUP

- Harvey got the win, moving to 3-0 on the year
- The All-American struck out six and walked one, allowing just four singles against the high-powered offense
- He retired six straight after a leadoff single in the first, then six more in a row after a single in the third
- A walk and hit batter started the seventh, giving the Bears multiple baserunners for the first time
- Harvey got a strikeout, flyout and strikeout to finish off the game
- Michael Joyce took the loss, allowing seven runs on four hits in an inning of work

UP NEXT

- The teams wrap up the three-game series with a Saturday doubleheader, starting at 1 p.m. in Hickory