Wise, Va.----Trailing by a run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning Saturday afternoon, Gavin Groppuso connected on a go-ahead two-run homer, helping the Bulldogs pick up a 10-8 victory at UVA Wise in South Atlantic Conference baseball action. The 'Dogs finish off their third straight SAC sweep, pushing their winning streak to 12 while improving to 18-4 overall and 10-2 in the SAC. The Cavaliers fall to 6-12 overall and 3-9 in league play.

KEY STATS

- Wingate out-hit UVA Wise 16-14
- The Bulldogs had seven of the 13 extra-base hits and three of the five homers
- UVA Wise left 14 on base; Wingate stranded 11
- The 'Dogs had two of the three stolen bases
- The Cavaliers committed the only error of the game
- UVAW pitching struck out two and walked five; WU had two strikeouts and seven walks

KEY BULLDOGS

- Groppuso was three-for-six with a double, homer, three RBI and three runs scored
- Jalen Evans went five-for-six with a double, homer, stolen base, three RBI and two runs scored
- Bowen Powell added two hits including a homer, driving in three
- Reed Benamati contributed a hit, RBI and three runs scored
- Bradley Hart added a double and scored a run
- Tanner McCammon went three-for-five with a double
- Connor Longley allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings of work
- Parker Jensen tossed 1 2/3 shutout frames to earn the win
- Carson Starnes induced a double play against the only batter he faced on the day

FIRST INNING

- Singles from Groppuso and Evans started the game
- Powell launched a three-run homer down the right field line to make it 3-0 early
- Jake Smith's RBI single in the bottom of the frame cut the lead to two

SECOND INNING

- Benamati drew a one-out walk, then scored on Groppuso's RBI double
- Evans followed with an RBI double to put the 'Dogs on top 5-1

THIRD INNING

- Hart ripped a one-out double down the left field line
- He scored on Benamati's RBI single
- An RBI single from Evans gave Wingate a 7-1 cushion

FOURTH INNING

- A Bernard Creque sacrifice fly made it a five-run game

SEVENTH INNING

- Smith's RBI groundout made it 7-3
- Joshua Morgan's RBI single made it a three-run game

EIGHTH INNING

- The Cavaliers scored four runs to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth
- A Luke Johnson sacrifice fly and Smith RBI double made it a one-run game
- Morgan's RBI single tied it at seven
- A Jaden Ruehling RBI fielder's choice gave the Cavs an 8-7 advantage

NINTH INNING

- With two outs and nobody on, Benamati drew a walk to keep it alive for Wingate
- Groppuso connected on a towering two-run shot to right center to give the Bulldogs a 9-8 lead
- Evans followed by crushing the next pitch out to dead center, giving WU a two-run advantage

WRAPUP

- Jensen got the win, improving to 2-0 on the year
- After getting the final two outs of the eighth, he kept UVA Wise scoreless in the ninth to finish the win
- Patrick Sawyer took the loss, falling to 0-1
- He allowed two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings of work

UP NEXT

- Wingate is at Mount Olive Tuesday at 4 p.m.
- The Bulldogs host Mars Hill for a three-game series next weekend, starting Friday at 4 p.m.